We Can't Stop Checking the News Either. Welcome to the New FOMO (wired.com)

An anonymous reader shares an article: Countless studies have shown that social-driven FOMO (fear of missing out) stems from a person's primitive desire to belong to a group, with each snap, tweet, or post a reminder of what separates you from them. This other type of FOMO, the all-news, all-the-time kind, is new enough that nobody has really studied it much, yet of the half-dozen experts in sociology, anthropology, economics, and neurology I spoke to, all quickly recognized what I was describing, and some even admitted to feeling it themselves. "We scroll through our Twitter feeds, not seeking anything specific, just monitoring them so we don't miss out on anything important," says Shyam Sundar, a communications researcher at Pennsylvania State University. This impulse could stem from the chemical hits our brains receive with each news hit, but it could also derive from a primitive behavioral instinct -- surveillance gratification-seeking, or the urge that drove our cave-dwelling ancestors to poke their heads out and check for predators. In times of perceived crisis, our brains cry out for information to help us survive. Maybe this alarm stems from steady hits of @realDonaldTrump. Maybe it's triggered by left-wing Resistance types. Or could it be #FakeNews, ISIS, guns, police violence, or street crime, all propagated through our social media bubbles with headlines that are written specifically to grab our attention? This feels like a processing problem. "One thing we learn about human beings: We're meaning-making machines," Kross says. And social mania may be ideal for mainlining breaking news, but it's not great at providing meaning and context.

Comments

So...useless people do this, then?

[xxxJonBoyxxx]

>> "We scroll through our Twitter feeds, not seeking anything specific, just monitoring them so we don't miss out on anything important," says Shyam Sundar, a communications researcher

Seems like multiple levels of fail are in play here.

Puff, Puff, Pass the Bullshit.

[geekmux]

"This impulse could stem from the chemical hits our brains receive with each news hit..."

Uh, news? That's a laugh. The only thing being passed around these days is bullshit, which the masses obviously love to puff, puff, pass.

"In times of perceived crisis, our brains cry out for information to help us survive."

Those of us still armed with brains and common sense are crying, because its become increasingly frustrating to find a needle of useful information in a haystack world full of bullshit.

I gave up

[Tempest_2084]

I actually gave up on watching or checking the news every five minutes when it went from 'These are the important things you must know!' to 'Here's what you should be outraged about today!'. I don't need to be told what I should or shouldn't be angry/disappointed/worried about, I'm a big boy and I'll make up my own mind on that. I just want to be told what's happening in the most neutral way possible, but that's not possible anymore it seems so I gave up. I'll listen to local news for a the highlights, but that's about it.

Re:I gave up

[eepok]

This is exactly how I feel, now. If there's a news article or headline that uses any kind of suggestive emotional descriptor, I turn off.

"Shameful Statements from the President. Critics Respond." -- Newsflash: "Critics criticize!"
"Horrific Accident on the Freeway..." -- Yep. Happens literally every single day of the year.
"Person Stuns Other People" -- I don't care about the emotional responses of other people. Shocked, offended-- doesn't matter. Just tell me what the person did/said.
"Sad Tale of Person Who Feels Bad Now" -- Ok... but what led to the feels?

If you just trim it down to the necessary, journalistic info, you find that most of these articles or TV segments should be 20% their presented length. Just tell me what happened! I'll know figure out my own thoughts, opinions, and feelings on the matter!

I'm not kidding when I say that I would happily pay $30/month for a news service that committed to leaving all that crap out and just reported like the following.

Headline: "President Does This Action", Body: On , President did this. These countries have acted in support. These countries are filing official protests. Here's the legal/historical basis for this action (link).

Headline: "Business Hypeman Unveils Design for Thing", Body: On , Business Hypeman revealed the design for a Thing. The thing is not functional yet. Business Hypeman says when released it will do that. Here's the basis for the technology (link).

Headline: "Law Proposed to Change How This is Done", Body: On , a legislature put forth a bill to make this process standard. Supporters include these guys. Detractors include these guys. Lobbyists involved from these industries have taken sides. Here's the legislation (link) and an analysis from an unbiased source (link).

Re:n. FOMO - A type A fear you will miss frist pso

[Anonymous Coward]

To be fair, I will pull out my phone and look at the screen to avoid any awkward conversations or pointless boring small talk (like on an elevator or waiting in line).

It's a great conversation killer/preventer.

Every morning

[lgordon]

First thing in the morning, every morning.

1. Did he start a nuclear war?
2. Did he resign?
3. Brush teeth.

Re:I have the opposite

[ShanghaiBill]

I once made a comment to a co-worker about Trump's latest idiotic outburst, just assuming she was already aware of it. She had no idea what I was referring to. Then she explained to me that she didn't read any news, and had stopped paying attention to current events decades ago. She said that the result was less stress, and more time to spend on the important things in her life. As far as she could tell there were no negative consequences, since nothing in the news had anything to do with her life.

Re:I have the opposite

[Anonymous Coward]

I see you have very little to do except but continue dividing people into two groups.

You're part of the problem that people are trying to escape. DIAF.

Re:I have the opposite

[Tempest_2084]

I'm moving in that direction. I've stopped looking at news sites and mostly stopped listening to news on the radio (other than the 5 min summary on my drive home). I originally had a fear of becoming 'uninformed' on the days current events, but honestly that hasn't happened. I hear enough to keep abreast, but don't dive into the latest outrage de jour and I've never been happier.