Researchers at Texas Tech College of Media & Communication look at problematic news consumption and how it compares to the U.S.
Is problematic news consumption an evolution of behavior that’s not going away? If it’s here to stay, then how do we manage it?
Associate Professors of Advertising Bryan McLaughlin, Ph.D., and Melissa R. Gotlieb, Ph.D. are trying to find out.
Across multiple studies, Gotlieb and McLaughlin found that people with severe problematic news consumption tend to experience greater levels of stress and anxiety. At the same time, they found those are the people who are most active and most engaged. Our society tends romanticize those who are informed and engaged, because people need to be the voice, but it's not as romantic as one would like to think because they’re also suffering the repercussions in terms of emotional wellbeing. It’s good for people to follow the news, but it may come at a cost.
The U.S. has a rather high incidence of people who with severe problematic news consumption, but is this phenomenon just happening here? A grant from the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) will allow Gotlieb and McLaughlin to compare the prevalence and consequences of problematic news consumption between the U.S. and other countries.
In the future, they also hope to explore how people can develop more balanced ways to pay attention to the news and be involved without letting it spiral out of control. When looking at other types of behavioral addictions, the solutions often focus on trying to get people to stop engaging in the problematic behavior. Gotlieb said they don't want people to tune out completely and to not be engaged.
We think consuming new is important for our own civic knowledge, health, and safety. We don't want to tell people to stop consuming news.”
The question that then comes up is how do we address it? Their work provides some initial evidence that learning to be more mindful may help those with problematic news consumption to develop a healthier relationship with the news. McLaughlin said that those people who are more mindful are less likely to get caught up in the news, and even if they do get caught up, they're able to pull back. People who tend to be more aware are able to ground themselves in the here and now, helping them to avoid feeling stuck in an out-of-control world.
“Our research has identified and brought attention to a relatively common problem among news audiences, suggesting the importance of media literacy campaigns and interventions to raise awareness, prevent, and address the adverse effects of having an unhealthy relationship with the news.”