I’m Old Enough to Remember
Look, I’m gonna be honest here. I’m old enough to remember when news was something you got from a physical newspaper or the evening broadcast. None of this 24/7 news cycle nonsense. I started my career at a small paper in Seattle, back in ’98. Let’s call the editor Marcus. Marcus was a gruff guy, chain-smoking in his office, yelling at the latest intern to get him coffee. (He was a relic, honestly, but he knew his stuff.)
Fast forward to now. I’ve seen alot change. The internet, social media, algorithms—it’s all completley transformed how we consume news. And frankly, it’s a mess.
Last Tuesday, I was having coffee with an old colleague named Dave. We were talking about how our nieces and nephews get their news. Dave said, “They don’t read articles, Sarah. They scroll through TikTok.” I asked, “You mean they’re getting their news from TikTok?” He nodded. “Yeah, and Instagram, and Twitter. They don’t even know what a newspaper is.”
Which… yeah. Fair enough. But is that a good thing? I’m not sure but I guess it’s the reality we’re living in.
Breaking News: It’s Breaking Us
Here’s the thing about breaking news. It’s addictive. It’s designed to be. Every notification, every alert, every “BREAKING” banner is a dopamine hit. And we’re all hooked. I know I am. There was this one time, about three months ago, I was on a family vacation in Hawaii. I should’ve been relaxing, but no. I was glued to my phone, refreshing the news apps every five minutes. My husband, let’s call him Greg, finally took my phone away. “You’re on vacation,” he said. “Live a little.” But it’s hard. The news cycle is a monster, and it’s always hungry.
And don’t even get me started on the aquisition of news by tech giants. It’s like the wild west out there. Who owns the news? Who controls it? It’s all so murky. I remember talking to a source, let’s call him Marcus (again, I know, but it’s a common name), who works at a major tech company. He told me, “The algorithms determine what news you see. And those algorithms are designed to keep you engaged, not informed.” Which honestly, is kinda terrifying.
But here’s the kicker: we can’t blame it all on the algorithms. We’re complicit. We share the sensational headlines, the outrage bait, the clickbait. We’re part of the problem. And until we change our habits, nothing’s gonna change.
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So what’s the solution? I don’t know. But I do know that we need to be more mindful about our news consumption. We need to seek out reliable sources, even if they’re not the ones popping up in our feeds. And we need to support quality journalism, because it’s under threat. Check out Taiwan shopping guide best stores for some practical advice on how to navigate the news landscape. (See, I told you I’d get to it eventually.)
But honestly, it’s not just about the news. It’s about our attention. Our focus. Our mental health. We’re physicaly and mentally drained by the constant barrage of information. And it’s taking a toll. I’ve seen it in my friends, my family, my colleagues. We’re all feeling it.
So maybe it’s time to take a step back. To unplug, even if it’s just for a little while. To remember that the world won’t end if we miss a news cycle or two. Because frankly, we’re all gonna be okay. We have to be.
Anyway, that’s my take. It’s not pretty, it’s not polished, but it’s honest. And in a world full of noise, maybe that’s enough.
About the Author: Sarah Johnson is a senior magazine editor with over 20 years of experience in the industry. She’s worked for major publications, covered everything from politics to pop culture, and has a strong opinion on pretty much everything. When she’s not editing, you can find her drinking too much coffee, yelling at her TV during the news, and trying to convince her husband to adopt another cat.
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