I am a long time follower of political news. I am working on what you call "controlling the inputs" post-election because it is a healthy response to Trumpian chaos. HOWEVER. We are coming out of an election that was distorted by deliberate efforts to bamboozle the public, and a long term degradation of the general public's level of attention and information about civics/government/economics/world events/etc. That has resulted in an unprecedented and deeply dangerous corruption of democratic processes (just look at the perversion of the 5th federal circuit & SCOTUS, let alone the role of Elon Musk) that will result in the impoverishment of the American taxpayer and untold misery for many, many people. It strikes me as bordering on irresponsible to say, never mind, just shut down on any news. Yes, it is harder to be cheerful and serene. But please do not encourage people to completely check out. That is not helpful. As citizens, we really do have an obligation to pay attention, take action, and invest our time and energy in (re) building a society and country that we want to inhabit and leave to the next generation. Don't shortchange that.
I agree. I think some type of news does fall into Catherine’s category of being genuinely irrelevant and something we can’t contribute to, but still something that stresses you out. I just can’t bring myself to care about what some member of Congress said during some hearing I’m thousands of miles away from.
But at the same time, the most uninformed voters have made the poorest electoral choices. That doesn’t mean voting for a specific party over another (though it can) but it can also just mean checking out from the political process entirely, thinking voting isn’t worth it. I think checking out of the news entirely only makes it more likely people don’t think elections are something they should care about or that they might care or believe the wrong things in our society. But I don’t know what line there is before you cross into unhealthy overconsumption
Thank you for the thoughtful (and thoughtfully written) comments. I should clarify that I of course believe that it's important for us to be civically engaged. I'm just not willing to let the news (and things I can't control, and people who thrive off of sucking other people's attention) steal my life from me. At the moment, for me, that looks like a fast. But that won't be forever, and I'm sure that everyone who reads this will have a different balance that feels right. I do think, though, that "how much news is enough/too much" is an essential question to start asking ourselves -- because just as there are definitely dangers from having a population that is uninformed, there are also dangers that come from tuning in TOO much. Seriously, thank you both for your comments and your respectful tones. This is why I like substack!
Agree! Saying that you don’t pay attention to news is a privilege. I’m greatly concerned that this administration will erode the civil rights of myself, my wife, and our friends and neighbors. I don’t want to consume the news and go into anxiety spirals, but also feel like I need to be aware in case things get too bad. I get the point of the post, but just wish there was some acknowledgment of the privilege because I doubt anyone is actively trying to make your marriage invalid, revoke your passport, or deport your friends.
Thanks, Ellie, for this thoughtful comment, and for sharing your personal experience I do think it's important to pay attention—and to take action in any way we can—but also believe that *compulsively* consuming the news, as many of us (myself included) so often do, actually sucks our energy and makes it less likely that we'll be able to take action. In other words, "not going into anxiety spirals" but also "being aware in case things get too bad" is a good summary of what I was trying to convey -- coupled with a call to take action on the things we CAN control, and to be as kind and helpful to each other on a personal level as we can.
And also: while some people are obviously facing more personal risks than others, I think that ALL of us probably have some way that our health and safety -- and our children's future -- is going to be threatened in the coming years. I'd love to regularly offer suggestions in my substack for specific ways we can all help each other, such as the suggestion I got the other week about an organization to donate to on behalf of the people affected by the LA fires. Suggestions are always welcome!
I was a news junky, for sure, watching MSNBC all evening. Even though it was repetitive, I was addicted. I stopped when Trump was elected. My body actually felt sick when I heard the news of his re-election. I had anxiety that would bring on panic attacks and it was this constant barrage of news. I’m now visiting our town library and spending time reading. I exercise more and feel better. I do read Heather Cox Richardson and it's almost more news than I need. I feel more committed to building more relationships and engaging in community events in my small town. I feel it's more important to be active at the local level. This is a scary time but I need to stay grounded.
That's a good point - there are certain substacks, such as Heather's, that can provide titrated and thoughtful doses of the news. Thanks for the reminder!
Thank you for this, Catherine. I too have been on an unintentional news fast since November 2024, and it's been mostly helpful.
Still, I don't want to totally disengage. I think it's important to think very critically about how news can inform our civic engagement and responsibility to our communities - it can be a fine line between "no news" and "getting news from unreliable sources." (And yes - liberals are totally susceptible to our own version of fake news!!!)
I think for me, it might look like reading the news biweekly, or listening to a NPR summary podcasts once a week. Also I am very pro local news - I subscribe to the Inquirer in print and am a menber of WHYY. (By local news I do NOT mean local TV news, which is it's own type of nightmare!) My brother swears by the Economist - also another intriguing idea.
Thanks for bringing up all these thoughtful ideas.
Thank you, Mara! I 100% agree with you -- and I love the way you phrased this: " I think it's important to think very critically about how news can inform our civic engagement and responsibility to our communities - it can be a fine line between "no news" and "getting news from unreliable sources."
This is a great post and works for anyone across the political spectrum who spends too much time on the news. In 2016, I, too, relinquished my habit of listening to the news in the morning, and I, too, had an infant daughter at the time. It made me a more patient, attentive, and joyful parent for so many reasons, one being that instead of listening to the news, I listened to stories and music suitable for children, and not just when my daughter was in the car. In other words, I switched from content that made me feel hopeless to content that made me feel hopeful.
News by osmosis is perfectly acceptable. I let my newspaper subscription lapse a month ago and I’m already feeling the positive effects. At the same time, I know what I care about and I know what I stand for, and I know that’s not going to change with the amount of doomscrolling I do.
A guy I once chatted with at a demo said to pick one cause and work on that. Otherwise you end up scattering your efforts all over the place and not making as big of a difference.
My causes are LGBTQ+ rights, Indigenous rights, climate change, and Palestine. I couldn’t pick only one. These are the things that I write to politicians about and protest about. Apparently politicians assume that for every one person who writes to them about an issue, there are ten more who care, but didn’t write a letter. Writing to politicians is one of the more effective things you can do. And if you use a template, reword it so it’s in your own words.
I read the headlines in The Guardian and some of the articles. I haven’t watched the news for the best part of four decades (I got fed up with the way everything was a “story” — no, this is people suffering).
Also one does not need a blow-by-blow account of everything. It’s enough to get a summary.
thanks for writing this, I always believe that the highest most precious form of gift is our attention, and it should be mindfully channeled to feel joy. I am eagerly waiting for "The Sirens' Call" which is a new book by Chris Hayes on the topic of screen and attention. Also, there is another book that I am reading on attention is by Christine Rosen called "The Extinction of Experience".
I am sorry for asking it here since I don't know where to ask, would I get an ebook of the smartphone breakup as a free copy if I signed up to the paid subscription?
I am a Blind reader from Malaysia, and Ebook is my way of reading books.
HI! That is a good question about the ebook. According to the publisher, both the ebook and the audiobook will both be released at the same time on the actual publication date, which is February 4th (and I don't have the files myself). I know that is extremely frustrating from an accessibility standpoint, so if you are a paid subscriber and would like to be reimbursed for the ebook when it comes out on 2/4, I would be happy to do so personally. Just write via the contact form on catherineprice.com and we can figure something out. Thank you for your interest and support
I have gotten to the point at which the only news I watch are when there are riots or fires in my city. I pretty much stopped when McNeil-Lehrer split up. I moved from LA to NY and started occasionally watching Charlie Rose and that was about it. I was an early blogger and got all my 'news' from reputable bloggers and the occasional journalist who I knew to publish non-fiction books. For a short period of time I listened to a bit of talk radio, but something bizarre happened to NPR about 7 years ago and that was the end. Now I read WSJ and that's it. Every once in a while I'll check out NPR to see how long I can take it. Maybe 15 minutes tops. Man, I miss Car Talk.
I find it remarkable how closely your recommendations sound Stoic to me.
Ha ha -- if only. Can you imagine how much better we would all feel if that stallion were in our backyards, greeting us each morning with sensitive eyes and a flowing mane?
(Actually, now that I type that out, it sounds a little creepy. . . . )
Marvelous post, Catherine. I read both your books when they were published, and both made a profound impact in my life with regards to phones and fun, and probably much in addition. Thank you!
Also, in October I started writing a regular Substack newsletter called Hard Refresh, about our reckoning with peak digital saturation, and especially what comes after. I do believe we are at a cultural tipping point around Big Tech, and I'm quite interested in (and encouraged by) the creative ways I see people pushing back, creating healthier workarounds, and even exiting the doom loop of smartphones, social media and digital maximalism.
Just before the November election I wrote about "How I'm limiting my news consumption right now," touching on many of the same points you address so eloquently here. We are not alone in understanding that our compulsion to follow the news is cut from the same cloth as our compulsion to endlessly scroll our social feeds; the dopamine hits are the same, and the business model behind them both is the same. There is wisdom and a sense of right action in choosing to withdraw from a rigged game that creates no actual value or enjoyment for us.
Thank you so much, Patrick, for this comment and for sharing your post. I will take a look, and encourage others to do the same! (I certainly hope we're at a cultural tipping point. . . .)
I've been on a news fast for as long as i can remember. I just never check the news. I never had an inclination to spend my time like this. I guess I'm not very interested in the big world. I end up always absorbing the most important events by osmosis. This life suits me very much.
One way I've stopped consuming the latest unfortunately local news is by finally unsubscribing to newsletters that constantly ask for donations. I give once a year to a few, but the requests don't stop. I know they need funding, but I have to prioritize. It's unfortunate for both of us.
I would not platform someone like Desmond Tutu. While he was certainly important in the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa, he was also a noted antisemite and bigot. Someone who engaged in his sort of pernicious, hateful, violence-supporting bigotry is not a voice we need in a debate like this one, when so many better voices can be found.
I am a long time follower of political news. I am working on what you call "controlling the inputs" post-election because it is a healthy response to Trumpian chaos. HOWEVER. We are coming out of an election that was distorted by deliberate efforts to bamboozle the public, and a long term degradation of the general public's level of attention and information about civics/government/economics/world events/etc. That has resulted in an unprecedented and deeply dangerous corruption of democratic processes (just look at the perversion of the 5th federal circuit & SCOTUS, let alone the role of Elon Musk) that will result in the impoverishment of the American taxpayer and untold misery for many, many people. It strikes me as bordering on irresponsible to say, never mind, just shut down on any news. Yes, it is harder to be cheerful and serene. But please do not encourage people to completely check out. That is not helpful. As citizens, we really do have an obligation to pay attention, take action, and invest our time and energy in (re) building a society and country that we want to inhabit and leave to the next generation. Don't shortchange that.
I agree. I think some type of news does fall into Catherine’s category of being genuinely irrelevant and something we can’t contribute to, but still something that stresses you out. I just can’t bring myself to care about what some member of Congress said during some hearing I’m thousands of miles away from.
But at the same time, the most uninformed voters have made the poorest electoral choices. That doesn’t mean voting for a specific party over another (though it can) but it can also just mean checking out from the political process entirely, thinking voting isn’t worth it. I think checking out of the news entirely only makes it more likely people don’t think elections are something they should care about or that they might care or believe the wrong things in our society. But I don’t know what line there is before you cross into unhealthy overconsumption
Thank you for the thoughtful (and thoughtfully written) comments. I should clarify that I of course believe that it's important for us to be civically engaged. I'm just not willing to let the news (and things I can't control, and people who thrive off of sucking other people's attention) steal my life from me. At the moment, for me, that looks like a fast. But that won't be forever, and I'm sure that everyone who reads this will have a different balance that feels right. I do think, though, that "how much news is enough/too much" is an essential question to start asking ourselves -- because just as there are definitely dangers from having a population that is uninformed, there are also dangers that come from tuning in TOO much. Seriously, thank you both for your comments and your respectful tones. This is why I like substack!
Agree! Saying that you don’t pay attention to news is a privilege. I’m greatly concerned that this administration will erode the civil rights of myself, my wife, and our friends and neighbors. I don’t want to consume the news and go into anxiety spirals, but also feel like I need to be aware in case things get too bad. I get the point of the post, but just wish there was some acknowledgment of the privilege because I doubt anyone is actively trying to make your marriage invalid, revoke your passport, or deport your friends.
Thanks, Ellie, for this thoughtful comment, and for sharing your personal experience I do think it's important to pay attention—and to take action in any way we can—but also believe that *compulsively* consuming the news, as many of us (myself included) so often do, actually sucks our energy and makes it less likely that we'll be able to take action. In other words, "not going into anxiety spirals" but also "being aware in case things get too bad" is a good summary of what I was trying to convey -- coupled with a call to take action on the things we CAN control, and to be as kind and helpful to each other on a personal level as we can.
And also: while some people are obviously facing more personal risks than others, I think that ALL of us probably have some way that our health and safety -- and our children's future -- is going to be threatened in the coming years. I'd love to regularly offer suggestions in my substack for specific ways we can all help each other, such as the suggestion I got the other week about an organization to donate to on behalf of the people affected by the LA fires. Suggestions are always welcome!
I was a news junky, for sure, watching MSNBC all evening. Even though it was repetitive, I was addicted. I stopped when Trump was elected. My body actually felt sick when I heard the news of his re-election. I had anxiety that would bring on panic attacks and it was this constant barrage of news. I’m now visiting our town library and spending time reading. I exercise more and feel better. I do read Heather Cox Richardson and it's almost more news than I need. I feel more committed to building more relationships and engaging in community events in my small town. I feel it's more important to be active at the local level. This is a scary time but I need to stay grounded.
That's a good point - there are certain substacks, such as Heather's, that can provide titrated and thoughtful doses of the news. Thanks for the reminder!
Thank you for this, Catherine. I too have been on an unintentional news fast since November 2024, and it's been mostly helpful.
Still, I don't want to totally disengage. I think it's important to think very critically about how news can inform our civic engagement and responsibility to our communities - it can be a fine line between "no news" and "getting news from unreliable sources." (And yes - liberals are totally susceptible to our own version of fake news!!!)
I think for me, it might look like reading the news biweekly, or listening to a NPR summary podcasts once a week. Also I am very pro local news - I subscribe to the Inquirer in print and am a menber of WHYY. (By local news I do NOT mean local TV news, which is it's own type of nightmare!) My brother swears by the Economist - also another intriguing idea.
Thanks for bringing up all these thoughtful ideas.
Thank you, Mara! I 100% agree with you -- and I love the way you phrased this: " I think it's important to think very critically about how news can inform our civic engagement and responsibility to our communities - it can be a fine line between "no news" and "getting news from unreliable sources."
This is a great post and works for anyone across the political spectrum who spends too much time on the news. In 2016, I, too, relinquished my habit of listening to the news in the morning, and I, too, had an infant daughter at the time. It made me a more patient, attentive, and joyful parent for so many reasons, one being that instead of listening to the news, I listened to stories and music suitable for children, and not just when my daughter was in the car. In other words, I switched from content that made me feel hopeless to content that made me feel hopeful.
News by osmosis is perfectly acceptable. I let my newspaper subscription lapse a month ago and I’m already feeling the positive effects. At the same time, I know what I care about and I know what I stand for, and I know that’s not going to change with the amount of doomscrolling I do.
A guy I once chatted with at a demo said to pick one cause and work on that. Otherwise you end up scattering your efforts all over the place and not making as big of a difference.
My causes are LGBTQ+ rights, Indigenous rights, climate change, and Palestine. I couldn’t pick only one. These are the things that I write to politicians about and protest about. Apparently politicians assume that for every one person who writes to them about an issue, there are ten more who care, but didn’t write a letter. Writing to politicians is one of the more effective things you can do. And if you use a template, reword it so it’s in your own words.
I read the headlines in The Guardian and some of the articles. I haven’t watched the news for the best part of four decades (I got fed up with the way everything was a “story” — no, this is people suffering).
Also one does not need a blow-by-blow account of everything. It’s enough to get a summary.
thanks for writing this, I always believe that the highest most precious form of gift is our attention, and it should be mindfully channeled to feel joy. I am eagerly waiting for "The Sirens' Call" which is a new book by Chris Hayes on the topic of screen and attention. Also, there is another book that I am reading on attention is by Christine Rosen called "The Extinction of Experience".
I am sorry for asking it here since I don't know where to ask, would I get an ebook of the smartphone breakup as a free copy if I signed up to the paid subscription?
I am a Blind reader from Malaysia, and Ebook is my way of reading books.
thanks
HI! That is a good question about the ebook. According to the publisher, both the ebook and the audiobook will both be released at the same time on the actual publication date, which is February 4th (and I don't have the files myself). I know that is extremely frustrating from an accessibility standpoint, so if you are a paid subscriber and would like to be reimbursed for the ebook when it comes out on 2/4, I would be happy to do so personally. Just write via the contact form on catherineprice.com and we can figure something out. Thank you for your interest and support
I have gotten to the point at which the only news I watch are when there are riots or fires in my city. I pretty much stopped when McNeil-Lehrer split up. I moved from LA to NY and started occasionally watching Charlie Rose and that was about it. I was an early blogger and got all my 'news' from reputable bloggers and the occasional journalist who I knew to publish non-fiction books. For a short period of time I listened to a bit of talk radio, but something bizarre happened to NPR about 7 years ago and that was the end. Now I read WSJ and that's it. Every once in a while I'll check out NPR to see how long I can take it. Maybe 15 minutes tops. Man, I miss Car Talk.
I find it remarkable how closely your recommendations sound Stoic to me.
i thought you meant the actual news was about a horse 🤣
removing some news apps from my phone rn!
Ha ha -- if only. Can you imagine how much better we would all feel if that stallion were in our backyards, greeting us each morning with sensitive eyes and a flowing mane?
(Actually, now that I type that out, it sounds a little creepy. . . . )
Marvelous post, Catherine. I read both your books when they were published, and both made a profound impact in my life with regards to phones and fun, and probably much in addition. Thank you!
Also, in October I started writing a regular Substack newsletter called Hard Refresh, about our reckoning with peak digital saturation, and especially what comes after. I do believe we are at a cultural tipping point around Big Tech, and I'm quite interested in (and encouraged by) the creative ways I see people pushing back, creating healthier workarounds, and even exiting the doom loop of smartphones, social media and digital maximalism.
Just before the November election I wrote about "How I'm limiting my news consumption right now," touching on many of the same points you address so eloquently here. We are not alone in understanding that our compulsion to follow the news is cut from the same cloth as our compulsion to endlessly scroll our social feeds; the dopamine hits are the same, and the business model behind them both is the same. There is wisdom and a sense of right action in choosing to withdraw from a rigged game that creates no actual value or enjoyment for us.
If you care to have a look: https://shorturl.at/1DnEc
Thank you so much, Patrick, for this comment and for sharing your post. I will take a look, and encourage others to do the same! (I certainly hope we're at a cultural tipping point. . . .)
Love this. Thank you.
I've been on a news fast for as long as i can remember. I just never check the news. I never had an inclination to spend my time like this. I guess I'm not very interested in the big world. I end up always absorbing the most important events by osmosis. This life suits me very much.
Don’t look a .gif horse in the mouth? (Sorry, couldn’t resist.) Thanks for the post. Very sound advice.
I did the same. I made it to the day after inauguration. It was a peaceful time. Now it’s not. I am going off news again. Starting now.
One way I've stopped consuming the latest unfortunately local news is by finally unsubscribing to newsletters that constantly ask for donations. I give once a year to a few, but the requests don't stop. I know they need funding, but I have to prioritize. It's unfortunate for both of us.
I would not platform someone like Desmond Tutu. While he was certainly important in the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa, he was also a noted antisemite and bigot. Someone who engaged in his sort of pernicious, hateful, violence-supporting bigotry is not a voice we need in a debate like this one, when so many better voices can be found.