Going news/media "free" for a month. Would you try this?

[belfpala]

30 days of not watching the news or reading any media (so also no forums, or reddit, etc.). Would you try this?

Also switch to a "dumb" phone that only does calls and texts. Also quit video games.

I have done this, due to work load.

But if you really want to do it for one of your stated goals:

- Don't get influenced into thinking in a certain direction by others;

...you would also have to quit all social interaction. People talk about things happening around them and the media and news they read.

[JohnBrown1917]

Uninformed is better than misinformed. An uninformed person can get informed. A misinformed person will not change their mind easily.

All media is misinformation.

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So you're saying everybody should just be uninformed? You can't make any decent opinions that way.. How many levels of conspiracy nut are you on?

[Moralgy]

So you're saying everybody should just be uninformed? You can't make any decent opinions that way.. How many levels of conspiracy nut are you on?

It is best to just know nothing and decide things on the fly. Take camping for example, eating berries to test them for poison is better than being informed about them because that information is probably bias so don't trust it.

[Elim Garak]

So you're saying everybody should just be uninformed? You can't make any decent opinions that way.. How many levels of conspiracy nut are you on?

Stay on topic. We are talking about news. There's nothing in the day to day news that you NEED to be informed of to form ANY opinions. Most news are misinformation (half truths, lies thru omission, outright lies, biased interpretations, etc) anyway, and there's no conspiracy behind this. There's no council of cospirators controlling every media to do this.

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It is best to just know nothing and decide things on the fly. Take camping for example, eating berries to test them for poison is better than being informed about them because that information is probably bias so don't trust it.

Strawmen come to mind too. It's best to not hear any.

[mvaliz]

I've done this a number of times actually. newsfasts really help you get rooted back into reality if you find yourself spending too much time thinking of the bad stuff vs what's going on in your actual life.

Even when I'm not doing an outright news-fast, I have a number of rules i put in place:

1) Read the news only - do not watch videos of news. Reading allows you to control the information flow. Video does not, and usually has too much emotional fluff in there.
2) Almost everything you need to know is right there in the headline, so just skim the headlines.
3) Avoid any headline that ends with a Question Mark - that is not news, that's ususally just made-up extra fluff to bolster article counts.
4) If you want to read an article, only read articles that are on the same level of an alien spacecraft crashing into the White House...

[Nazrark]

At least one week out of the month I just disappear from Social Media and watching the News. Sure I can catch up when I am done. But I feel mentally liberated for that week. After which I am able to go back into the real world.

[nomorepriest]

I could.. I actually just unfollowed everyone on my social media accounts besides funny videos of animals.

[Deleted]

Doing so is actually pretty hard. Nonetheless its a better way of living. People tend to take to much value from news, when its basicly a propaganda machine fueling someone elses interests (not yours). Every news is biased and therfor a shit source of information.

Im generally curious why nobody wonders how it can be that insurance companies invest in weapons and child labour, war crimes, death and poverty in africa / south america doesnt make the news. And Kim kardashian getting a butt upgrade does. News is the new bread and games, used to keep the people busy with dumb shit while they all get screwed in the ass.

[JohnBrown1917]

Stay on topic. We are talking about news. There's nothing in the day to day news that you NEED to be informed of to form ANY opinions. Most news are misinformation (half truths, lies thru omission, outright lies, biased interpretations, etc) anyway, and there's no conspiracy behind this. There's no council of cospirators controlling every media to do this.
.

I'm on topic, news is an umbrella terms for current events.

But feel free to stay ignorant and not inform yourself, its how Clinton won the nominee and how Trump won in the US, you're with the majority.

[Deleted]

Yeah, you can do that. But there are (at least in my city) LED billboards all over the place. You still catch headlines...not a bad thing I guess

Ah, this is in the US I guess?
I wonder why people even want this, it woud be unthinkable here in the Netherlands to see random news messages on billboards, giant screens or something similar.

[Deleted]

Burying your head in sand might make you feel better but it actually makes yours and everyone else life worse...

[Sulfate]

Setting aside the biases of individual media outlets, the coverage in the media is definitely slanted towards the negative and sensational. This can create an impression that the world is going to hell in a hand-basket, when in actuality these incidents are the exceptions. As long as you keep a reasonable perspective, reading the news isn't much worse than other forms of entertainment.

Rather than complete abstinence, I'd recommend trying to get a mix of more optimistic outlooks: scientific and technological breakthroughs, new shows and video games, etc.

[Ladey Gags]

To everyone saying that doing this is being willfully ignorant, you’re only being ignorant to what OP is saying here. Distancing yourself from all forms of media and entertainment for a short period of time in order to recuperate your mind and body is not “burying your head in the sand” indefinitely.

In the long run, doing something like this once or twice a year is incredibly helpful for your own health and consequently everyone around you. Of course, it takes a certain kind of person to be willing to admit the shit we’re bombarded with on a daily basis is in fact insane and worthy of being detoxed from every now and then. Our brains are not even close to being evolved to handle the constant stream of bullshit we currently have to endure, whether that’s from the news or some other person’s bullshit on social media.

Indeed it’s a wise choice to say fuck you to all the bullshit for a bit every once in a while. For maximum effect, say fuck you to your own bullshit and you’ll see how nearly everything we hold dear is in fact bullshit.

[JohnBrown1917]

To everyone saying that doing this is being willfully ignorant, you’re only being ignorant to what OP is saying here. Distancing yourself from all forms of media and entertainment for a short period of time in order to recuperate your mind and body is not “burying your head in the sand” indefinitely.

In the long run, doing something like this once or twice a year is incredibly helpful for your own health and consequently everyone around you. Of course, it takes a certain kind of person to be willing to admit the shit we’re bombarded with on a daily basis is in fact insane and worthy of being detoxed from every now and then. Our brains are not even close to being evolved to handle the constant stream of bullshit we currently have to endure, whether that’s from the news or some other person’s bullshit on social media.

Indeed it’s a wise choice to say fuck you to all the bullshit for a bit every once in a while.

And after that month you'll need to catch up with a month of worth news, but good luck with it.

[Elim Garak]

I'm on topic, news is an umbrella terms for current events.

And? I fail to see a difference? You don't need to be informed of current events that do not involve you personally, directly and right now.

But feel free to stay ignorant and not inform yourself, its how Clinton won the nominee and how Trump won in the US, you're with the majority.

WHat's up with the strawman? I never claimed one should remain uninformed.
And oh boy the irony about Trump... - he WON because people WATCHED news. The majority. Haha. Because 100% of the media (left and right) were selling Trump. Bad PR is still PR if you can handle it, and Trump can.

[Fencers]

Could totally do it. I have been done so inadvertently while traveling abroad. On occasion I can go days without checking the news if super busy at work.

However, I do not think it improves my life in any way. Quite the opposite when work duties dominate because I am not stimulating my mind. I am just working.

I do not ever feel anxious, angry or upset reading the news. So there is no upside to being out of the loop, just ignorance. Which is bad. I prefer to see a diverse range of opinions and viewpoints- that is exciting to me. The most exciting thing intellectually actually.

This seems like it would only be helpful to those that unhealthy or lowly ability to read or listen objectively and/or rationally.

[Evil Midnight Bomber]

And? I fail to see a difference? You don't need to be informed of current events that do not involve you personally, directly and right now.

That's an incredibly myopic way of looking at the world.

[Gaaz]

30 days of not watching the news or reading any media (so also no forums, or reddit, etc.). Would you try this?

I recently had a lunch with a guy that did this and he claims it improved his life. After the 30 days, he would only scarcely read anything news-related and only if it's was of actual concern to him.

The biggest gains here are that you:

- Don't worry about things anymore that don't actually concern you to begin with;
- Don't get frustrated about stupid things other people do and say;
- Don't get influenced into thinking in a certain direction by others;
- Get a better outlook at life and see life as it really is for you personally;
- Can focus all your energy and thoughts into things that excite you and help you forward in life;

I think I could try this. Could you?

I actually did that several times while on work assignments in difficult to access areas.
One of them was Kuwait - internet there is quite heavily censored even on the best of days, and we hardly did have any access to it in general. In early 2010s 512kb speed was considered fast there. Just over a month with no news of outside world.
Another was when I was in Ukraine. We were working in the middle of nowhere. To make a call, we had to climb a water pressure tower. More than 3 weeks without outside contacts basically.
Not sure how that might improve your life, but you definitely would have more time to spend on something in the real world, good or bad. To combat boredom, some of my colleagues started weight lifting, some started reading all kinds of literature. On the other hand, some got in trouble with the locals (I will not get into details further on that matter). So actual effect will depend on a person.
I suppose it does change a person a little though in terms of information perception. After a long break it is harder to watch news and not see biases and that something is off in logic circuits. Maybe because your brain had enough time to process stuff it had before and achieved a certain logical structure. Therefore new logical paradoxes are more apparent compared to constant feed of information when you do not have time to process stuff.

[Lochton]

30 days of not watching the news or reading any media (so also no forums, or reddit, etc.). Would you try this?

I recently had a lunch with a guy that did this and he claims it improved his life. After the 30 days, he would only scarcely read anything news-related and only if it's was of actual concern to him.

The biggest gains here are that you:

- Don't worry about things anymore that don't actually concern you to begin with;
- Don't get frustrated about stupid things other people do and say;
- Don't get influenced into thinking in a certain direction by others;
- Get a better outlook at life and see life as it really is for you personally;
- Can focus all your energy and thoughts into things that excite you and help you forward in life;

I think I could try this. Could you?

I wouldn't be able to, I am too curious. I already have most the gains that you listed anyways.

[ButterBeast]

The trump white house would LOVE this idea lul.