Author: anne_godlasky

The algorithms that social media and search engines use to elevate news stories are opaque to the public as well as those who report the news. However, we know that users’ interactions matter, clicks matter. We know that word choice and image choice make a difference – and it’s not less is more. People click more on vivid or graphic language and photos. But that doesn’t mean that’s what’s best for everyone. Remember when it seemed that “everyone” loved Game of Thrones? There were actually plenty of people who avoided GoT because it was too violent and triggering. Those avoiders lost the ability to have certain watercooler conversations, to potentially bond with others and to participate in a larger cultural moment. But news avoiders – people who don’t pay attention to the news because it’s upsetting or “too much” — miss out on something much greater.

Almost seven in 10 Americans say they’re worn out by the news, according to Pew Research Center. Reuters Digital News Report found that 38% of Americans sometimes or often avoid the news. When asked why, roughly 60 percent said because it negatively affects their mood. Countless articles – especially now during the COVID-19 pandemic — advise limiting news exposure for better productivity, better relationships and better mental health. Some of our own loved ones who have experienced trauma say their therapists advise them to turn off the news.

Studies show women are more likely to be upset by the news and more likely to avoid it. It’s noteworthy that women and sexual minorities (LGBT) also have higher rates of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder than men and heterosexuals, respectively. African-Americans also have higher rates of trauma exposure, as do people from low-income backgrounds. However, trauma affects people across all demographics. Most Americans experience at least one trauma in their lifetimes, putting them at greater risk for depression, anxiety, substance abuse and other issues.

If trauma and the fear of re-traumatization also contributes to news avoidance, that means these populations that are already vulnerable are consuming less news. Studies have shown that people who consume less news are also less likely to be civically engaged. They may vote less or if they do vote be less informed about how candidates would impact their lives. News avoidance has a direct impact on democracy.

Ideally, we would change things about social media to address this. For instance, we would not surface the same story from multiple sources – which, when the story is particularly violent – can feel overwhelming. We would ensure the sources that are promoted are legitimate news sources. We would allow users to limit the number of news stories and time they receive it.

However, because most people get their news on Facebook and trying to change Facebook is like trying to steer a rudderless ship, our idea is instead to create a newsletter that attempts to counteract the negative aspects of news on social media. This would entail creating an actual newsletter with news content, A/B testing photos and headlines as well as traditional approaches vs. those with different context and solutions and alpha testing and surveying consumers. Our hope is that by taking such steps we can prove that there is a smaller but more loyal audience for trauma-informed journalism and determine a path forward for it to avoid losing important audiences.

–Anne Godlasky and Gabi Manuli

For our brainstorm, we decided to try to solve around: “How Might We make COVID-19 news less anxiety producing?”

Our simplest idea was what many people have found most effective — that is limiting their media consumption to certain times of day and certain lengths of time so as not to become overwhelmed.

Our wildest idea was thinking about what it was about New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo that so many people find to be a palatable way to consume this information and whether the news media could adopt any of the tactics that he embodies.

I’ve had insomnia on and off for years and recently it’s been on. (Hence my delay on this assignment, for which I publicly apologize!) I don’t have a sleep tracker, so tracking my media had an interesting side benefit of forcing me to reckon with how few hours of my days and nights are “unmediated.”

My Netflix consumption over the course of the week all happened between the hours of 9 or 10 p.m. and … well, the wee hours of the morning. Most of it was The Office – it helps me fall asleep, the familiar lullaby of that jaunty keyboard intro. That show is something I chose, not something that was algorithmically supplied for me, in the sense that it’s something I knew of and liked in my pre-streaming life. However, other shows I watched this week – Grace & Frankie and Sex Education – are newer and I would not have known about them in the first place if Netflix hadn’t decided I was in their target audience. (Unrelated except for the genre title, do read “I Don’t Want to Be the Strong Female Lead.”)

I’d given up Twitter and Facebook first semester because doing so felt like a luxury which, given my job, would not be afforded to me again in the foreseeable future. But in January I allowed myself back on both platforms and I’ve been disappointed at how quickly it’s become habitual – and, yes, addictive – again.

I look at Twitter and Instagram primarily as I’m trying to wake up or go to sleep. As you can imagine, it’s more effective at one than the other. Facebook I look at sporadically throughout the day when I’m bored, anxious or looking for a brief escape. I put time limits on these three platforms (which I sometimes ignore). All three are algorithm driven. I primarily browse my feed rather than searching for something specific.

However, my internet use – whether by phone or laptop – is search driven. Mostly, this week it involved school work, although some if it included going down Zillow rabbit-holes as I fretted over where to move my family after this year.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much time I spent texting — which is almost exclusively social for me — and Slack, which is a mix of social and work that skews toward the former.  

I decided to divide my media use up by who was reaching me:

• friends/family/real people I care about
• co-workers (many of whom are also friends, lines blur)
• strangers
• media (primarily news media)

Across the 10 platforms I tracked, news media came to me on all but two, Netflix and texting (while occasionally I receive news media via text, the primary form of media is personal photos/videos and gifs. Sometimes Laura Dern gifs are the only acceptable form of communication).

I only solicited news media on four of the eight platforms on which I received it, showing how heavily the algorithm is at play. I engaged with strangers on Twitter, Facebook and e-mail, although they weren’t my primary content providers on the latter two. I engaged with friends and co-workers on all social platforms. Consuming news media – either directly at the source, such as nytimes.com or the USA TODAY or Apple News apps, or through internet in the form of assignments for class, etc. – was a solitary activity.

My media consumption per day across these 10 platforms ranged from a low of 169 minutes to a high of 677 minutes. The median was 270.

I was thinking about how so much of my media consumption is so blended – in terms of time, platform and who’s reaching me. I wanted my visualization to show ombre or fading between colors to represent that, but I have no artistic skills. I also have no crafting skills, but that didn’t stop me from picking up my daughter’s yarn. I figured not only would it show the interwoven nature of these platforms into my life, but that it would show how dominant certain social strands and the news media are. It did. It also showed that I have no business braiding or weaving anything. But just consider the messier parts representative of more habitual or passive media use and the nice, tightly braided parts the intentional media seeking. 😊

First I made specific braids for each platform – one color for that platform and the other colors representing who is reaching me on that platform.

Who’s reaching me:

• friends/family/real people I care about – yellow yarn
• co-workers (many of whom are also friends, lines blur) – orange yarn
• strangers – brown yarn
• media (primarily news media) – red yarn

The platform:

• Twitter – light blue
• Facebook – dark blue
• Instagram – pink
• Slack – light green
• Texting – dark green
• Email – white
• Netflix – dark red
• Internet, mobile – lavender
• Internet, laptop – purple
• News directly – black

I cut the threads for each braid based on time spent. One inch is 10 minutes. Then I tried to braid all 10 strands back together. I haven’t made friendship bracelets since the ‘90s so please forgive me!

I went without my phone for 24 hours from 10:30 pm Saturday to 10:30 pm Sunday.

I often wake before I want to and when I can’t fall back asleep, I reach for my phone. Because this wasn’t possible I laid awake ruminating as insomniacs are wont to do — but eventually I did fall back asleep and it was glorious. On another day, would the blue light and search for something satisfying have kept me up? Those intermittent rewards are never enough.

I spent the morning with my partner, two kids, sister, parents and grandmother. It helped that I was at my parents’ house — an environment in which I spent years pre-smartphones. I know how to sit in that space.

Still, there were times I wanted to reach for my phone — even just physically looking at the end table next to me, touching my back pocket — but it wasn’t there. I focused on drinking my coffee while it was actually hot.

There were times my daughters asked for my phone — for instance, when they wanted me to play music for their dance party. It felt good to be able to tell them I didn’t have it on me.

The times I wanted my phone most were when I wanted to take photos of the family and when something would come to mind that I wanted to tell a friend and I was worried I would forget. I also felt like I was missing out on socializing with my friends virtually, even though I was with my family physically. I’ll admit I did turn on my computer. I legitimately had an assignment for another class due by 9 pm Sunday, but I wasn’t only doing the reading and writing for that class — I also talked to people on Slack and looked at Facebook, where I liked a number of photos my cousin had posted from my grandmother’s birthday party the previous day and where I also found out my friend’s dog died. I commented there and did remember to reach out via text the next day.

It was especially strange to do errands without my phone, the feeling that if someone needed something else from the store I wouldn’t find out until I returned. Or if something happened with the kids or my grandmother, I wouldn’t be able to respond in time. And I had to listen to the radio instead of “my” music, sitting through songs I didn’t know!

Later, I was driving from Pennsylvania to Massachusetts and my mom was the navigator. If she hadn’t been, I would’ve needed my phone then. Although I have a good sense of direction, it’s been blunted by GPS use.

It was fortunate the challenge ended when it did because I would have stopped at that point anyway — at 10:37 pm my daughter started having trouble breathing and we made an emergency detour. I used my phone to find the hospital and then to communicate with my mom who had my eldest in the waiting room.

The definition of addiction “a compulsive, chronic, physiological or psychological need for a habit-forming substance, behavior, or activity having harmful physical, psychological, or social effects and typically causing well-defined symptoms (such as anxiety, irritability, tremors, or nausea) upon withdrawal or abstinence.”

Based on this definition, I think it is accurate to describe my relationship to my smartphone as addictive. The compulsion to check my phone throughout the day was certainly there and withdrawal did increase my anxiety. When I have access to my phone I check it chronically, as a matter of habit, even though it rarely makes me feel better and often makes me feel worse about myself and the world.

–Anne G.