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Things you notice when you quit the news (2016)

raptitude.com

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Re: Things you notice when you quit the news (2016)

#271
post #140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If being exposed to ads or super stimulating content is unavoidable, then how do you build a defense mechanism against it? Avoidance is good to the extent that you can engage in avoidance but not everything is avoidable. How do you actually build resistance to the stimuli?

quite simply, meditation. But sure there are many types of it, and while putting it like this it seems 'simple' it's also very difficult. more specifically, it all stems from the practice of self-observing how you react to something "virtually", without getting carried away by it. Doing this for any stimuli, good, bad, scary, exciting, is what it's all about, that way you can notice yourself getting carried away, and…

That is a good method, another is actually studying the methods of advertising. The methods they have now are not much better than what they had 50 years ago. The only big differences are volume, intrusiveness, and rate. All of those have increased tremendously in the past few years. But learn about anchoring, A/B choice, timed choice, and so on. Helps quite a bit.

So being conscious that most forms of video media are trying to sell you something. Nothing is on that screen/audio unless someone put it there. Cynical but there are so many different ways to advertise. One cute one I can not unsee is product placement. Ghostbusters was my first time seeing it. The pop can in the fridge. Always at the right angle to see the label. The funniest one was in a movie called Cobra. He stops in the middle of a scene to drink a beer, in front of all the signage. It was literally a commercial right in the middle of the movie and 'fit' the scene.

One thing I have noticed after removing massive amounts of advertising in my life is that what does get through is much more effective. So you have to be very diligent in not being quick to buy anything. Buying something could be an idea or item. I also usually use a timeout method. Basically I set the 'thing' to the side and revisit it a few days later. It removes most of the urgency that most advertising tries to create.

Re: Things you notice when you quit the news (2016)

#272

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree with much of what you wrote. Finding curious and open minded people is super important and I would encourage you to spend the time to find people who actively participate in their society. Unless, of course, you'd rather not. > But you're not truly informed, at best you know the opinions of others. Or more typically, you're informed as to what media outlet publishes to get eyeballs for advertising revenue. I…

I'm a bit of a pessimist here. Finding open minded people has been very difficult. I've got a set, they are my oldest and best friends, spread across the continent now. What is your reading list and hours per week spent? If you are regularly reading several publications like the economist and keeping tabs on diverse set of news outlets, then you might be able to see the forest. But that takes significant time, and I…

> then you might be able to see the forest.

No matter how many different sources about trees you read or watch, you will never see the forest without visiting it yourself.

Re: Things you notice when you quit the news (2016)

#273
post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm a firm believer in quality over quantity when it comes to news. Google News has gotten increasingly annoying though, forcing me harder toward the "personalized" results, the kind of filter bubble I'm intentionally trying to avoid. What worked well for me was getting a print subscription to the Economist. They definitely have a bias (particularly in their editorials), but it's mostly of the "free trade" variety, w…

I can fully attest to the quality of the Economist but I caution anyone to subscribe because they don’t provide any way to easily unsubscribe. It’s either to call some phone number or attempt it via live chat. I tried the second option and the representative just went on with the script trying to fatigue me out of it, no matter what I said.

I've always subscribed through a third party (DiscountMags) and it's been painless. In fact I've had the opposite problem, where my Economist doesn't show up one week and I start cursing the USPS until I realize it's because I forgot to renew.

Hopefully the FTCs actions last year will put an end to the kind of cancellation hell you describe. At least for US customers anyway.

https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2021/10/ftc-r...

Re: Things you notice when you quit the news (2016)

#274

Earlier quoted context omitted.

a lot of news is clickbait or junk. Buzzfeed is the pioneer of that. there's a reason why trust in media is decline https://www.pewresearch.org/2022/01/05/trust-in-america-do-a...

> Buzzfeed is the pioneer of that. Ironically, BuzzfeedNews is pretty good.

Unironically, no it's not.

Re: Things you notice when you quit the news (2016)

#275
post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm a firm believer in quality over quantity when it comes to news. Google News has gotten increasingly annoying though, forcing me harder toward the "personalized" results, the kind of filter bubble I'm intentionally trying to avoid. What worked well for me was getting a print subscription to the Economist. They definitely have a bias (particularly in their editorials), but it's mostly of the "free trade" variety, w…

I can fully attest to the quality of the Economist but I caution anyone to subscribe because they don’t provide any way to easily unsubscribe. It’s either to call some phone number or attempt it via live chat. I tried the second option and the representative just went on with the script trying to fatigue me out of it, no matter what I said.

My local library has a certain number of electronic subscriptions, so I am able to read The Economist on my iPad with the Libby app for "free" (i.e. paid for by by local taxes).

I would GLADLY pay for a print subscription, because I greatly prefer physical magazines over digital. But whether it's magazines, satellite radio, or whatever... I'm just not subscribing to anything known for not letting people go.

Re: Things you notice when you quit the news (2016)

#276

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Strong disagree with the idea that watching or reading mainstream news is informative. I don't think it's unfair at all to label mainstream news (US) as propaganda. Have you ever compared the home pages of major mainstream media companies? It's as if they are reporting on a completely different country. It begs the question of whether it is better to be uninformed or misinformed. Consuming mainstream media in the US…

How would you have found out about the Texas power outages last year or the rising Opioid epidemic if it were not for news (unless you lived in Texas or knew someone addicted to Oxy)? Or any other event from your city all the way to your federal government? You can dismiss all news as being misinformation, but even the shadiest outlets report some semblance of facts. It's the cause of the news that's often up for deb…

The most powerful manipulation the so-called news uses is not what it reports, but what it refuses to. I'm not going to give examples because I see no upside in violating other HN readers' widely held taboos, but they're pretty obvious with a little consideration.

Re: Things you notice when you quit the news (2016)

#278
post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thank you for illustrating my point.

Why are you certain that I don't have all the information necessary to have made an informed decision on this?

If you had the all the info, how would you be certain that you are not biased?

I had the unluckiness to be born in a country torched by war. I am still finding out the info about the war, that you won't be able to read anywhere. I am aware that it is not easy for someone that grew up and lives in totally different world to learn and understand all the complexities... But at least take everything with a grain of salt.

Re: Things you notice when you quit the news (2016)

#279
Imagine some kids are talking about stuff from computer games, imagine some other kids talking about memes from tiktok.

If you are not into games or memes you discard it as nonimportant. That is same thing if you dont watch news.

Its like a joke you didnt hear and some people are referencing it.

No big deal.

Re: Things you notice when you quit the news (2016)

#280
The revolution will not be televised.

This is because all the mainstream news sources, even those that appear to be in opposition, are working in tandem. CNN, Fox, BBC, RT, Al Jazeera, etc and papers WaPo, NYT, Guardian, Daily Mail, etc are all providing positions on the same narrative. Using this sources - as if they are stating truth - seems crazy to me. They are all propaganda.

The apparent variety of left or right wing perspective gives the illusion of there being something there, that you have a balanced opinion on. This is by design. Its _all_ propaganda. Its soap opera for the middle classes. It does not relate to the live you experience.

The backdrop to it is that people live such virtual lives, sitting at screens, not engaged with nature and real-life, the virtual has become a de facto reality.

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