The rapid increase in technology and decades of globalization has allowed the media to grow in an ever-thriving business.
By reaching millions of world-wide clicks every second, the number of sources desperate to offload information into millions of people competes in a news environment that is constantly changing.
The era of constant access to news and information sharing throughout the course of the Coronavirus pandemic has had profound effects on the population’s increasing feelings of anxiety and frustration towards the outbreak, leaving them under-informed about how best to keep themselves and others safe.
The fading visibility of the line between data-driven information and online trolls is convincing people of ‘fake news’ and contradictory analyses of the pandemic on millions of online sites.
Below, feature ways to personally combat the overwhelming newsreel and navigate which information is most helpful to you. The advice will help to digest the news about the pandemic in healthier amounts.
Research the Bias
By understanding where your source aligns, you can understand their motivations behind certain scary articles.
When digesting information during the Pandemic, it is important to attach the information to its context, who it was written for, and how biases can distort the information you are being given.
The empowerment of being able to dissect the quality and accuracy of your own information will reduce the feeling of being submerged and having no control over it.
Restrict yourself to several checks a day
The current norm of society is to receive information instantly. The day of waiting for things is dead and the reign of next day delivery and live updates is cemented in place.
This can make receiving information through apps phones, iPad, games consoles, and kitchen fridges a constant chore. By checking the news throughout the day, you subject yourself to the many changes to the same pieces of information as more evidence becomes available.
This can make the stories seem puzzling and difficult to understand.
By restricting yourself to checking your phone once in the morning and once before you go to sleep, you can control the stream of information intake and manage your time more effectively.
Find what you are looking for
Being creative forces our brains to think, focus, and explore.
This is important to do, as the news constantly tells people what they believe they should be hearing. By taking time to be creative, you can understand clearly what information you believe you want to seek out.
If someone was to create a piece of artwork that is meant to reflect ‘quarantines effect on womanhood,’ that same person would feel inspired to seek out an article on a feminist lens of the Pandemic.
By taking a pause to listen to your own curiosity and discovering what information you are seeking it helps to engage you into more refined stories that satisfy, instead of alarm.
Whilst not everyone admits to being ‘creative’ or finding it easy to take that pause before delving into the news, there are proven ways to aid this.
New research has shown many people are choosing CBD infused drinks and sweet treats instead of that glass of wine to famously ‘wind down.’ Firstly, it is important to dispel folk tales about CBD.
CBD is often mistaken for a different cannabinoid, THC producing the ‘high’. CBD is the natural, nonintoxicating product that can reduce anxiety, stress, and therefore act as a ‘wind down’ substitute, whilst not giving that nasty “hangover.” The clarity coming from this reduction in stress and anxiety will open up space in your mind for creativity, thought, and reflection of the news.
Reduce your Apps
Whilst apps facilitate how we source our news and information, notifications from different apps can have disturbing and overbearing effects during the lockdown and the greater pandemic.
It is recommended to reduce screen time and create a clearer pathway to information sourcing, that someone should have one or two news apps on their phones.
Apps such as the calm app can be used to help this transition and manage which content on your phone is supporting a stress-free pandemic.
Hopefully, this ‘How to’ digest information during a Pandemic will be empowering for managing life and getting the information needed during the lockdown.
