Summary

The author, a nomadic traveler, expresses a commitment to focusing on positive stories and experiences, despite the prevalence of negative content and its financial incentives, emphasizing the importance of fostering positivity and happiness both individually and within the online community.

Abstract

The author reflects on the human tendency to be drawn to negative news, as evidenced by higher engagement and earnings from pessimistic articles, such as Adrienne Beaumont's piece on reasons not to visit Australia. This phenomenon is attributed to an evolutionary negative bias, where focusing on potential threats was crucial for survival. Despite the popularity of negative content, the author chooses to share uplifting narratives, having witnessed abundant kindness and positivity during their travels. They advocate for the power of positivity and its ability to attract more happiness, encouraging others to join in spreading light rather than darkness. The author finds Medium to be a more positive platform compared to others like Facebook, though they note that even on Medium, negative stories garner significant attention. Ultimately, the author challenges readers to prioritize sharing positive content to cultivate a more joyful online environment.

Opinions

The author rolls their eyes at the notion that negative stories earn more money, indicating disdain for this aspect of human nature.
There is a clear disappointment in the media's preference for sensationalizing bad news to attract viewership and revenue.
The author believes that the evolutionary explanation for negative bias, while once vital, is now an outdated habit that society should evolve beyond.
The author has attempted to curate a positive online space on Facebook but found it futile due to the prevalence of negativity and trolling, leading them to quit the platform.
Medium is praised as a platform where positive and supportive interactions are more common, though it is not immune to the allure of negative headlines.
The author takes a firm stand against contributing to the "black cloud of emotion" by refusing to write about negative experiences, despite their frequency.
They assert that focusing on positive experiences has a tangible impact on one's life, leading to increased happiness and serendipitous occurrences.
The author tags a number of Medium users, hoping to resonate with them and spread the message of positivity.
The author acknowledges that their post may not be as financially successful but values its potential to inspire change.
They issue a challenge to readers and writers to choose positivity over negativity for the collective well-being of the community.

POSITIVE OUTLOOK | POSITIVITY

I Refuse To Write About Negative Things Even Though That Is What Makes Money

Why are humans like this?

Peace and Love, always. Photo by Ehimetalor Akhere Unuabona on Unsplash

Yesterday I was reading Adrienne Beaumont’s story Ten Reasons You Must Visit Australia. She lives in Australia and is a big traveler, so I guess she knows a thing or two about the country. She was writing it as an antithesis to her post Ten Reasons Not To Visit Australia. But she had this to say about her prediction of earning from the story:

Ten Reasons Not To Visit Australia is currently my third biggest earner this month even though I wrote it way back in May. I don’t expect to earn a cent for this positive view of Australia. Readers like to hear the bad stuff!

I rolled my eyes in disdain at reading this because, of course, I know that it is true.

After reading the article, I went to the comment section where I saw a comment from Linda Ng:

Bad News

Many are now realizing that the media reports on bad news and sensationalizes it at that. They do this because this is what attracts the viewers. This is what people want to see. And this is what brings in the marketing revenue.

Very few want to hear about happy people and their happy stories. Those stories just make us feel bad about our lives. No, it’s much more fun to hear the bad stuff, then we can feel better about ourselves.

This is just crazy to me.

I decided to do some reading online to learn about this phenomenon and try to figure out why we are like this. I came across an article by verywellmind.com that explains ‘negative bias’:

Where Negative Bias Comes From

Our tendency to pay more attention to bad things and overlook good things is likely a result of evolution. Earlier in human history, paying attention to bad, dangerous, and negative threats in the world was literally a matter of life and death. Those who were more attuned to danger and who paid more attention to the bad things around them were more likely to survive.

This meant they were also more likely to hand down the genes that made them more attentive to danger.

The evolutionary perspective suggests that this tendency to dwell on the negative more than the positive is simply one way the brain tries to keep us safe.

I suppose it is a good theory, but come on! We are not living in caves anymore, isn’t it time for humans to grow past this?

Finding a good vibe

Of course, we all know that finding a good feeling will never happen by going online, certainly not through Facebook, Twitter, or anywhere else. On those platforms, negativity takes center stage.

I even curated my Facebook feed within an inch of its life so that I only received good and positive posts, but the trolls found me anyways. Worse, the negativity came from people who were once considered friends. It was then that I admitted defeat and realized that it is impossible to live a happy and peaceful existence while sharing it with others, without somebody being upset about it.

I quit Facebook cold turkey.

Then I found Medium.

Arriving on Medium was a breath of fresh air. Here I found a community of people that seemed to support and uplift each other. I was aghast that a platform like this existed when I had been banging my head against the wall, fighting off the negative trolls, for so long on Facebook.

Here I could share my positive outlook on the world, and it was received with reciprocated happiness and kindness.

But lately, I have noticed that the headlines on here that are capturing the most attention are also the ones with a negative twist. Specifically, those articles that are getting down on Medium itself!

What I could write about

As a traveler, I see any number of horrific things, sometimes on a day-to-day basis. I could be reporting on those. I could be focusing my energy and talking about the dark and evil of the world.

But I refuse.

I refuse to take part in the black cloud of emotion that is seeping into our psyches from every corner.

I am looking to the light, and I think that you should be also.

The world is full of good

After traveling full-time for almost 5 years, I can attest that the world is full of good. In fact, it is bursting at the seams with good and happy people.

I can count our negative experiences on one hand, okay, maybe two, but you get my gist. The positive experiences far, Far, FARRRRRRR outweigh any negative ones.

The positive experiences are the ones that we focus on, and that is the energy that we pull into our lives as we move around.

And you know what? We have noticed that the less we focus on the negative, and the more we focus on the positive, the more wonderful things fall into our laps, and the happier we become.

So I challenge you. Are you going to post negative content just to make money? Or are you going to step into the light to curate peace and happiness in your and your readers' life?

Step by step and moment by moment, we will overcome the darkness. We just have to work together to do it.

Now, I don’t expect this post to make lots of money, but I do hope that it spreads a message. Therefore, I am going to tag some people that I think will resonate with this message. I hope you don't mind.

Disclaimer: I don’t want this to seem like I am getting down on Adrienne and Linda! I respect and admire both as writers and I have no beef about what either of them writes. In fact, their posts offer a real look at the experience that you can expect in both Canada and Australia, so it is certainly valuable information. It just so happens that their posts triggered this article:)

Thank you so much to Flint and Steel for publishing my message!

For a follow-up report to this story, check out:

A One Week Report On the Power Of a Positive Story

I have been pleasantly surprised with the results.

artisticvoyages.medium.com

Hi there, we are 2 Canadians, Jill and Chris from Artistic Voyages. We have been nomadic since 2017 living in numerous different countries, and experiencing the life and diversity of our planet on the ground and firsthand. We paint FREE murals in exchange for accommodation. Consider tipping us on Ko-fi!

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