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Negativity drives online news consumption

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Re: Negativity drives online news consumption

#71
post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, we are primed as animals that we are to be scared and vigilant. Because that ensured survival.

I watched a farewell video of a very far right person dying of Covid. He didn't get vaccinated but I don't know if it was because he was anti-vax, didn't think Covid was real or didn't get a chance as this was early in the pandemic. It was a recording made from a hospital bed and uploaded to Facebook. As he was saying his goodbyes he said something like "...and tell Brandon (son) I love him, not to trust anyone, and…

hah, the person below you did a nice imitation. They forgot "Assuming the daughter" not son.

But more seriously, the reason people indoctrinate isn't because they want them to be negative, but to realize that being pessimistic is actually going to be a more reliable way to have a plan for life when no one is able to help.

For example, if your car breaks down and your cell phone battery is around 30%- you have time to make a few phone calls, but instead of wondering if your friend can pick you up (assuming he has a cheap pickup truck that can tow), you rationalize- he might be sleeping, working, unwilling to answer the phone. You have three phone calls to make, so you decide you'll compare the rates of the two nearest towing companies.

Which do you call? You have money and time to spend, but you don't want to be stranded for a very long time, even assuming you were able to pull your car over to the side of the curb. Being pessimistic is just being prepared, and similarly, you want to try to save for a rainy day.

Re: Negativity drives online news consumption

#73
post #54
post #36

this is a bad headline. Drives is a causal word, which is not established. Indeed, a much more reasonable hypothesis is that both negative headlines and consumption are caused by high information events, which are more likely to be negative.

TFA discusses how randomized controlled trials were used to obtain their conclusions which do actually discuss causation. You're free to disagree with the study but you are incorrect in calling the article out as having a causation fallacy.

they controlled for information content?

Re: Negativity drives online news consumption

#74

Former newspaper city editor here. With few exceptions, positive stories -- although readers clamored for them in surveys -- never drove newsrack sales the way negative stories did. That's why we had a whole section for feel-good features but they didn't usually get prime front-page real estate. In the age of infinite content, headlines have become a sort of drama arms race. But the basic dynamic of what works and wh…

And thus, because profit motive drives literally everything (because it's impossible to forestall a takeover if you're broke) then all news-media trend toward maximum tolerable negativity.

That is, there is a saddlepoint for how much negativity viewers desire.

While I don't personally know what the threshold for psychological damage from exposure to this kind of media is, I would guess it's lower than the average exposure level is now.

Re: Negativity drives online news consumption

#75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some people are hoping for a catastrophe that will render all their personal problems irrelevant, be it World War III, environmental disasters or societal collapse. Like a snow day for your whole life.

"Oh thank god, society collapsed, now I don't owe that $5k of credit card debt, win win"

“now if you’ll excuse me I need to check my squirrel trap for breakfast, hopefully the dogs didn’t get it to it yet”

Re: Negativity drives online news consumption

#76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some people are hoping for a catastrophe that will render all their personal problems irrelevant, be it World War III, environmental disasters or societal collapse. Like a snow day for your whole life.

Very interesting point. The other type is people who think they'll be on top after a society-breaking external event. It's a very bitter and passive attitude. Something to hold on to for the ones who don't have the power to do things themselves. I guess News just mirror that attitude. In a less dramatic way negative News distract you from your own problems for a while.

> Very interesting point. The other type is people who think they'll be on top after a society-breaking external event

Wait until you see those who want to create a nuclear war somewhere to make an apocalypse happen so that Jesus of Nazareth can come back. Then there are also ones who believe that the nuclear apocalypse must be global for Jesus to return. Have your next shock when you discover that these people actually have politicians among them. Then another one when you discover that the last US Sect. of State himself publicly admitted to be one of those...

Re: Negativity drives online news consumption

#79

Maybe it is because happy people do not consume the news? Happy people tend to have full lives and are therefore too busy to waste time ingesting news about events that are not going to personally affect them. Whereas, I can only speak for myself, but when I am down (like right now), I spend lots of time doing nothing but browsing news aggregator websites and leaving comments like this one. And of course, negative ne…

Some people are hoping for a catastrophe that will render all their personal problems irrelevant, be it World War III, environmental disasters or societal collapse. Like a snow day for your whole life.

That's kinda how the pandemic felt to a degree. A happier than average time in my personal life, despite (or perhaps due in part to?!) all the carnage and pandemonium throughout the world. Feels wrong to say, but I will look back on my experience of the pandemic fondly.

Re: Negativity drives online news consumption

#80
post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think the relevant part of the previous comment was the political affiliation of the patient.

there was no reason to flag it. It was a lighthearted joke.

It's a low effort brainfart of a comment I'd expect on Reddit. I would downvote it too.
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