The aftermath of the 2024 presidential election left a large percentage of young people feeling a variety of negative emotions, ranging from anxiety, anger, disappointment, and fear, expectedly so.
To play into this, many news sources, ranging from the widely known FOX and CNN to political “influencers” on social media, post-consumer-focused and intriguing clips to increase engagement and conversation around the political events shaping the current world.
Unsurprisingly, the spread of such a wide variety of content results in diverse opinions and limited knowledge of the situation’s full scope, perpetuating an existing conflict within these political narratives. Social media algorithms on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram are designed to show you content similar to what you’ve already engaged with, often prioritizing emotionally charged, divisive content that generates engagement. Over time, this creates a feedback loop, overloading users with true and untrue information, conspiratorial claims, and a desire to deepen political polarization.
Social Media Rabbit Holes
Without getting into specific videos, topics, or platforms, think about a time you’ve gone down any kind of social media rabbit hole. Maybe it was an intriguing historical event, maybe a series of concert clips, or a chain of two-minute clips of an entire film pirated online. You were intrigued by this, hence the desire to continue watching. You felt compelled to watch and read more, thus engaging more.
In light of the 2024 election, people seek out this exact feeling to combat the political tension, and the combination of heightened uncertainty and the sheer volume of media coverage can make it tempting to stay glued to your screens for updates and validation on your own political and moral ideologies.
While finding and interacting with those who share viewpoints can foster a sense of community, it is undoubtedly a short-term phenomenon on the internet. This feedback loop, the repeated exposure to the same types of content, makes it difficult to have non-emotionally charged conversions with other individuals, where the highly divisive content achieves its goals of further entrenching a partisan divide and generating an immense quantity of engagement.
What We Already Know
We know social media poses harm to our mental health, facilitating constant comparison and the ability to access endless information all across the board. Experts suggest that social media shapes and influences young people’s brains and while some meaningful, interpersonal connections can be established, they aren’t usually as rewarding as the ones we create in our real lives.
We also have heard “put down that phone and go read a book,” or something comparable from parental figures. Studies have shown that overuse of the internet and social hinders one’s ability to think freely as individual people, forming our own opinions without a constant need for approval.
In the context of the election, overconsumption of news, particularly when the news focuses on bleak topics such as political instability, economic downturns, or social unrest, leads to feelings of depression, burnout, or hopelessness. The “bad news bias” encourages the perception that things are worse than they actually are, leaving people in a state of emotional depletion, and by continually viewing and engaging with this kind of content, you’re doing yourself a disservice and losing perspective on the bigger picture.
But What Is The “Bigger Picture?”
If all you’re seeing is the most dire news or opinions, it’s easy to overreact emotionally or make judgments based on incomplete or exaggerated information. I’m doing my best not to make this abrasively political, but sometimes it’s okay to take a pause and reflect on which social, economic, or political conversations are the ones you find the most valuable uses of your time and effort.
It’s counterproductive, psychiatrists add, to put yourself deeper into a scrolling, information-seeking pit, when your energies could be better spent focusing on tangible steps to improve your community or support causes that matter to you.
If you feel overwhelmed, consider taking a digital detox, deleting apps for a short period, seeking support, or practicing mindfulness techniques like meditation or deep breathing to reset your emotional state. Curate your news sources to be reputable, reliable, and accurate to limit your exposure to conspiratorial claims. Check out AllSides Bias Media Chart to see how what you consume fits in with or influences your ideology. As always, take care of yourself. Take breaks, remember who you are and what you know. Your opinions have value, and your perspectives matter. Finally, place emphasis on having meaningful conversations when you’re willing and ready.