Is infotainment dangerous?

[noname223]

Damn my keyboard has issues it fucks me up. Some keys don't work properly it is so annoying. Has anyone a trick when a key is blocked?

I still try to write the thread. I recognized maybe I have some issues concerning news. I spend a huge amount of time into following them. Mostly politics related. On free days I spent roundabout up to 8,5 hours into following them. I know sounds a little bit insane I know. I think due to my conditions I tend to extreme patterns of behaviors. On days when I have college it is less though. I thought I was immune to doomscrolling. I think it does not make me more depressed or sad. I rather think it might make me more anxious. However I am always anxious anyway and I often begin to panic very easily. With or without the news.

Not sure whether the content which I consume is all infotainment. Maybe 1/3 of the content that I consume. Though I start to dislike comedy shows about politics more and more. There is the question whether infotainment is damaging for our societies. Maybe here are some problematic aspects. Dramatization, exaggeration, polarization, divisiveness, black-white thinking, emotionalization, fake news, poor quality etc.

I could name some outlets which I consider problematic. Though if I did that this thread would probably disappear in the nothingness of the politics subforum.
Not only do I think about right-wing content there is for example a German leftwing show which demonstrated that their approach is not really balanced. I always found the concept a little bit questionable.

Do you think there is something dangerous when entertainment is mixed with information? When people get their news from sources they consider funny or entertaining instead of prioritizing high quality nuanced research?

I think there is for sure something dangerous in that. Especially the polarization. We are already way too divided in our societies. And when the media emphasizes emotions/opinions over hard-facts this can increase societal issues.

 

[Julgran]

Damn my keyboard has issues it fucks me up. Some keys don't work properly it is so annoying. Has anyone a trick when a key is blocked?

Unplug your keyboard, gently remove the key using a blunt kitchen knife, and then see if there's dirt or an object underneath that can be removed.

I still try to write the thread. I recognized maybe I have some issues concerning news. I spend a huge amount of time into following them. Mostly politics related. On free days I spent roundabout up to 8,5 hours into following them. I know sounds a little bit insane I know. I think due to my conditions I tend to extreme patterns of behaviors. On days when I have college it is less though. I thought I was immune to doomscrolling. I think it does not make me more depressed or sad. I rather think it might make me more anxious. However I am always anxious anyway and I often begin to panic very easily. With or without the news.

Not sure whether the content which I consume is all infotainment. Maybe 1/3 of the content that I consume. Though I start to dislike comedy shows about politics more and more. There is the question whether infotainment is damaging for our societies. Maybe here are some problematic apsects. Dramatization, exaggeration, polarization, divisiveness, black-white thinking, emotionalization, fake news, poor quality etc.

I could name some outlets which I consider problematic. Though if I did that this thread would probably disappear in the nothingness of the politics subforum.
Not only do I think about right-wing content there is for example a German leftwing show which demonstrated that their approach is not really balanced. I always found the concept a little bit questionable.

Do you think there is something dangerous when entertainment is mixed with information? When people get their news from sources they consider funny or entertaining instead of prioritizing high quality nuanced research?

I think there is for sure something dangerous in that. Especially the polarization. We are already way too divided in our societies. And when the media emphasizes emotions/opinions over hard-facts this can increase societal issues.

You could say that the news broadcasters in the USA - like Fox News, CNN and the like - are typical examples of this kind of mix between information and entertainment. I have never seen a news broadcast from over there in which they simply said "X thing happened today, and now to the weather". Instead, they just throw garbage statements at each other.

 

[makethepainstop]

Information like technology, is neutral, the use of any technology is dependent on its use!

 

[BruhXDDDDD]

Generally speaking, yes. But for most people it seems like the only way to get them to learn anything at all (myself included).

 

[Celerity]

IMO, the rise of infotainment is more of a result rather than a cause of widespread ignorance and apathy among the voting public. I will be 30 next year, and the number of people my age who express their political opinions very loudly with absolutely zero understanding of how our government works really gets to me sometimes. I'm not even talking about people on the opposite end of the political expression who I believe have been misled; instead, I am talking about people who can't even figure out the basic platform of the two major parties. A coworker of mine who I otherwise like is very strongly pro-choice but somehow got it in his head that Republicans are the pro-choice party in the USA. I was stunned by his ignorance. He immediately followed up with, "Well, they're the same thing" after I corrected him. Both parties being at the beck and call of their rich donors is one thing, but that's not what he was talking about. I can at least comfort myself in knowing that he doesn't vote.