Flee the news!

I came across this article explaining why paying attention to the news is pointless. I thought to myself, if people smarter than me don't read the news, maybe I should try. I don't have a television and I don't read the newspapers. But I had to shut down everything else that contained journalistic content: large chunks of Reddit, YouTube channels, every account that shared news on social networks, and I uninstalled news apps. It took some effort, but the quick positive results encouraged me to keep going.

Today I can say that I am much more optimistic about our world, unlike my parents who spend a lot of time on the news every day. I also have more free time. I spend it reading books, which I think is a much more fun activity. I feel that I am no longer interested in the immediacy, misinformation and superficiality of the news. Nowadays I am interested in broader issues, philosophical questions, science, not gossip or non-events. The days are quieter, and if something really catastrophic happens, people around me will be talking about it. It turns out that there are only benefits to escaping the news. You should try it.

If you're still not convinced, read this Twitter thread and this french article.

Bonus link to get facts about our world, not opinions: Our World in Data.