Three years ago, the media reported a shortage of coffins in northern Italy. The coronavirus was rampant and out of control. Now it was approaching us. People coped with this information in different ways. – I panicked, says Joakim Eriksen (37). Following the news made him hot with anxiety and uneasiness. He checked the death tolls in the online newspapers several times a day, struggled to concentrate at work, was irritable and felt short of breath. Finally, someone asked: “Aren’t you just going to screw up the news if you’re so stressed out by it?” Joakim is one of an increasing number of people logging off the news. Who is to blame – and can they be lured back? One in three avoids news In recent years, dramatic world events have been lined up. Norwegians are among the most news consumers in the world, and their use of the media has been high. Nevertheless, researchers see that more and more people are unhappy with their own consumption of news. Among young adult Norwegians, interest in news has fallen in recent years. As many as one in three Norwegians actively avoid news, either often or occasionally. Most people who become news avoiders say it is because the news has a negative effect on their mood. Almost as many answer that they are exhausted by the amount of news, according to findings from the Reuters Digital News Report. Professor of media studies Brita Ytre-Arne is researching this topic at the University of Bergen. She says that avoiding the news because the world is scary and difficult has been there for a long time, but that the phenomenon is now getting more focus. RESEARCHER ON NEWS REFUSAL: – When something dramatic happens, such as the outbreak of war or the first shutdown, it is experienced as genuinely frightening, says professor of media studies Brita Ytre-Arne. Photo: Eva Neteland / news – The continuous flow of information can be overwhelming and feel tiring. The way the digital news works with live broadcasts, push notifications and constant updating all the time clearly helps to sharpen this feeling. People describe it as drowning in news, she says. Several of those news has been in contact with who try to shield themselves from the news say that the need to turn off the news started during the pandemic. Denial of news has become a kind of “long covid” for them. LOCKDOWN: Most Norwegians remember where they were on 12 March 2020, when the first corona lockdown was implemented. Facsimile: news.no – What we saw during the first corona shutdown was that people had an incredibly intense use of news. The pandemic was such a gigantic, strange and unexpected thing that you just wanted to soak up all the information. After a fairly short time, people felt that it was too much, she says. Many began to shield themselves from the news to a greater or lesser extent. Joakim Eriksen’s strategy has been so rock solid that he cannot remember the last time he checked the front page of an online newspaper. At his warehouse job at Kjeller outside Lillestrøm, he puts on soundproof headphones to block out news broadcasts on the radio. If his colleagues start talking about the war in Ukraine during the lunch break, he politely asks them to change the subject. If they don’t listen to him, he likes to leave the room. The war of aggression in Europe has not been a favorite subject for him. He talks about his discomfort when he accidentally read that everyone should have iodine tablets at home as part of nuclear preparedness. Because even if he tries to live in a news-free vacuum, it lets in a few air bubbles here and there. – There is a limit to how much you can avoid taking with you when you are part of society. I can only forget to believe that people should not talk about the war in Ukraine around me, so of course I pick up a bit about what is happening, he says. The threat to public health Will there be war between NATO and Russia? Or maybe China? Or will it be “just” sabotage on gas lines and cyber attacks? Before that, there will probably be a terrorist attack, and the rest of the time it will be a climate disaster. Shit, now some are saying bird flu is the next pandemic. As if I don’t have enough problems with my finances already. And look here, yes, these are the ten signs that you have cancer, and when I feel it, I most likely already have it. This is how one can imagine the inner monologue of a worried, scrolling soul that allows itself to be washed away by the garden hose of bad news. This headline for VG sums up the feeling many people have: Facsimile: VG Very few (if any) civilizations in world history have offered better living conditions than Norway in 2023. Nevertheless, many of us are uneasy, perhaps because we have so much to lose? More than half of Norway’s young adults feel worries about the future, such as increased prices, the climate crisis and war. Over 12,000 Norwegians are queuing to receive mental health care, which is an increase of over 30 per cent in a couple of years, P4 reported last month. At the umbrella organization Council for Mental Health, secretary general Tove Gundersen is concerned with what troubles Norwegians. The fear of news is a topic that is more relevant to them than ever. – Many of the reactions I get are about this. Many know that they must spare themselves the misery because they get tired of it. It is a threat to public health, says Gundersen. WARNING: Secretary General Tove Gundersen of the Council for Mental Health believes that it is perfectly natural to limit the flow of news in troubled times. Up to a certain extent. Photo: Patrick da Silva Saether The problem arises when you don’t have a well-functioning sorting machine in your head to distinguish between real and non-real danger. Then there is a need to use the off button when one crisis replaces another, she explains. Even Haugen (34) from Tromsø is another who has chosen it. – Previously, I read the news every day, but I only became negative or afraid that things would happen to me. I cannot do anything about the world and how it is, and would rather reduce the negative impressions, so that it does not affect my mood in everyday life, he explains. SHADOWS AWAY: – You get more and more the impression that the world is a bad place, and I try to get away from those thoughts, says Tromsø væringen Even Haugen. Photo: Private He has heard from friends that he could radiate irritation, answer briefly and be more withdrawn during periods when he worried about things he had read in the news. On a daily basis, he works as a base manager at SFO, and he knows that he has a responsibility to keep up to date with things that are happening in society. – I understand that it is important in my profession. Maybe I should try a little more to follow along, to find a balance. But there is so much in the online newspapers that is “clickbaits”. People love negativity and dramatic, big headlines, he says. Do you avoid checking the news because it makes you anxious and stressed? Yes, it happens often Yes, but only rarely No, never Show result Tove Gundersen is skeptical of the tactic of hiding the news completely. – As a socially conscious person, there is an obligation to follow what is happening and follow the authorities’ advice. Then it is important to check the news and see what recommendations the authorities give, she says. Gundersen’s best advice is to make a plan for how often you should check the news. She recommends doing it two to three times a day, so that you can build a natural and relaxing relationship with them. You don’t get peace of mind by checking the news often. INVASION: An unpleasant front page to wake up to on February 24 last year. Facsimile: VG This applies to some who live or are alone a lot, because they don’t have someone to distract them and say “put away the mobile phone”. If we fail to limit ourselves, we can become overwhelmed and afraid. Then we let the news rule our lives, she explains. At the same time, Gundersen points a finger at the media and their responsibility for not scaring people unnecessarily. She thinks that the vast majority have become more factual, but accuses Dagbladet of maximizing the crisis and using dramatic language to attract readers. – I can understand why they do it. But from a public health perspective, in a situation where it is actually the case that mental health is under pressure in Norway today, one should be careful about that. Otherwise, we risk people withdrawing from the type of information that it is essential that they receive, says Gundersen. The new journalism Dagbladet has gained both popularity and great growth in traffic after a few years ago they found some even sharper aids in the tabloid toolbox: bigger letters, stronger colours, the “Right now” banner and short, dramatic titles. In sum, the cover gives a sense of great drama. ALARM: Dramatic signal words are important ingredients on the front page of Dagbladet’s online edition. Facsimile: dagbladet.no News editor Frode Hansen has heard the criticism before and does not agree that Dagbladet is a threat to public health. – We communicate what happens when it happens. The tabloid newspaper’s DNA is catchy and short titles. They should excite and be sensational, but of course also cover. Of course, there will be cases where we do not hit, and we must be aware of that. The most important thing we do is to make sure that our readers are satisfied. And the enormous digital growth we are experiencing indicates that, he says. TABLOID: – We cannot hide the most important things happening in the world here and now. But at Dagbladet you should feel that you get something more, that you are entertained and get a positive story, says Dagbladet’s news editor Frode Hansen. Photo: Terje Bendiksby / NTB The fact that people are running away from the news has caused great unrest in the media houses. In a survey of media managers worldwide, 70 percent responded that the trend of news avoiders worries them. Hansen is concerned that trust in the media is strong in Norway, but agrees that the denial of news is disturbing. – In recent years, hard news has dominated, but then the media must also be careful to allow bright spots to be part of the mix. The balance between not alarming unnecessarily and actually telling what is happening in the world can be challenging for the media. In the days before Russia attacked Ukraine in February last year, there were very few voices in the media who believed in any invasion. At the same time, US intelligence said it was going to happen. Shouldn’t the media have relayed the Americans’ warnings to avoid creating fear? Few media will answer “yes” to that question. News avoidance should rather be met with the international “buzz” term “constructive journalism”. news’s news director Helje Solberg explains that this is journalism where you take care to ask for solutions and hope, bring forward new ideas, innovations that work, who are the pioneers, has someone done something extraordinary, what is next. There are many answers you won’t get if you don’t ask for them. A recent example was to say that the war in Ukraine has accelerated the green shift. In addition, there are specials such as news Lyspunkt and TV 2’s news broadcast Good News. – Is constructive journalism the same as “kind” journalism and happy things? – No, constructive journalism is not the same as happy things. In this term lies the recognition that the overwhelming negativity in the flood of news, with disasters and war, does not provide a sufficiently nuanced or true picture of the world. But we will of course continue to bring ongoing news about what is happening and uncover objectionable conditions, she says. The filter Although Joakim may feel alone with his turmoil, he has an excellent filter for what is happening out there, namely girlfriend and partner Veronica Berg (36). She is as calm as a lawnmower and takes the world in her stride. – I am very good at pushing things away and thinking that nothing will happen to us. I also know that Joakim reacts very differently. So I don’t say anything about what’s happening on the news, unless it’s something he absolutely should know, she says. – Because it affects my everyday life that he gets stressed. FILTERING THE NEWS: Veronica Berg is careful about what kind of conversation topics she brings up around the dinner table with her boyfriend Joakim Eriksen. Photo: Javier Auris / news Joakim is delighted that he has Veronica. – I would probably have been more inclined to get help if I hadn’t had a roommate who actively follows along. It makes it easier to accept this situation. Instead of listening to the radio, it goes to podcasts and music on Spotify. Instead of checking the news on his mobile, he uses his digital breaks to Snapchat or to draw on his mobile with a digital pen. – I’ll probably get an SMS from the authorities or a message from Veronica if something happens that I have to deal with, he says. – What will it take for you to start checking the news again? – I really don’t think that will happen. It is a wishful thinking to find a channel for such nicer news. A goat stuck in the elevator or something. There are many strange things happening in the world that are not only the worst of the worst. Recommended further reading:
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When Joakim got sick of the news, he stopped checking it – Culture
