It is believed that the tendency that problems and emergencies rather than positive trends have been increasingly focused on by news reports is detrimental to individuals and society as a result. Despite acknowledging certain consequences of this development, I am adamant that there are a multitude of benefits that should not be overlooked.
Admittedly, it is understandable why some believe that the increasing negative news can lead to unintended consequences. Owing to proliferation of media and oversaturation of information, people tend to evaluate the current situations based on the popularity of information without critically checking their reliability. This carelessness makes them more probably misguided by negative news, resulting in beliefs that the societies or countries they live in are submerged in severe issues. In the long term, this might undermine public trust on the government and overall social cohesion, making them more vulnerable to misinformation or manipulation of malicious people. On a broader scale, people might believe that there is no point in solving these problems, diminishing their social contributions and even encouraging them to launch meaningless protests.
Nevertheless, I am convinced that this trend provides more benefits than drawbacks since the abovementioned issues can be mitigated by raising carefulness in public information assessment. The principal factor contributing to people’s vulnerability to negative information is their lack of critical thinking in accessing information and evaluating the circumstances. By considering the situations in a more multifaceted way, people might realize that there are still many positive developments apart from the problems and emergencies they often know through news reports. News reports focusing more on serious issues can also raise public awareness of current challenges that society has to face, thereby strengthening public cooperation and public support. Once a country or society is driven by strong social cohesion, it can navigate such large-scale difficulties more effectively. For instance, thanks to people in Vietnam accessing environmental information regularly, this country can prevent the far-reaching consequences of environmental issues.
In conclusion, although the increasing popularity of news related to problems and emergencies might adversely affect individuals and society to some extent, it still offers numerous advantages including facilitating social issues. However, people have to be critical when assessing news and information.