It is an ongoing debate whether the rise of news media and its influence on the population is rather a bad effect. I agree that the constant flow of disturbing information may be harmful to online readers.
First and foremost, loud and catchy headlines are used by news portals to captivate the audience. It goes without saying that while such methods are beneficial to journalists, constant exposure to such content can often lead to shock, anxiety, and chronic stress. The day-to-day life of today’s people is full of uncertainty, tough choices, and responsibilities. Contributing to one’s mental struggles, newspapers and websites profit off of people’s fears and attention.
Secondly, with the development of social media, it has become harder for all generations to remain focused on one thing long term. As a result, many individuals find themselves refreshing news portals multiple times a day in hopes of finding new articles to skim through instead of being productive. So eager is their desire to never stop the incoming data that certain facts can get mixed up. Misleading headlines keep making their way into the online world, producing rumors and causing misinformation as the readers simply forget to take breaks and give themselves a minute to think critically and assess what they have read.
With that being said, I believe that the news media is crucial for today’s population to stay informed and aware of global issues; it is the unfathomable amount of facts that can disturb some readers and is seen as a drawback.