Why The News Is More Disturbing Than Ever.
Traumatic Fascination or the “can’t stop watching” effect
It is believed that human biology may play a role in why people are drawn to viewing traumatic events. Research suggests that the human brain is wired to pay attention to potential threats and danger, which makes it difficult for people to look away from scenes of violence, destruction, and death.
Humans tend to pay more attention to and remember negative information over positive information. Additionally, the emotional impact of witnessing traumatic events can create a sense of intrigue and fear, which may keep people watching despite the negativity.
The phenomenon called “traumatic fascination,” refers to the human tendency to be drawn to and fixate on events that are violent, distressing, or traumatizing.
While there is no clear biological benefit to this tendency, there are several theories about why it might exist. Some researchers argue that this phenomenon may have evolved as a survival mechanism, allowing our ancestors to gather information about potential dangers in their environment. Others argue that it may be related to our psychological need for closure, or to understand the cause of a traumatic event.
However, while these are just theories and more research is needed to fully understand why we have this tendency to be fascinated by traumatic events the presence of traumatic fascination is well established.
Additionally, some experts suggest that the repetition of exposure to traumatic events can lead to desensitization, reducing the emotional impact of the content and increasing the likelihood that people will continue to watch.
How Traumatic Fascination makes for more bad news
The media industry is a highly competitive and profit-driven field, and the ratings of a news program are a major indicator of its success and popularity. In order to maximize viewership and attract more advertising dollars, news networks tend to focus on content that will generate the most interest and attract the largest audience. This often means prioritizing sensational stories and events over more important but less attention-grabbing news.
One of the main ways that ratings influence the news is by determining what topics are covered and how they are covered. News programs with high ratings tend to be more focused on dramatic and often tragic events, such as natural disasters, crime, and political scandals, rather than more mundane but important stories like policy changes or local community events. This is because such stories are more likely to capture people’s attention and hold their interest, which leads to higher ratings and more viewership.
The impact of ratings on the news can also be seen in the way that stories are covered. News networks often prioritize stories that can be sensationalized, such as covering a major disaster from the perspective of a single survivor, rather than covering the event objectively and providing the bigger picture. They also tend to focus on the most dramatic moments of a story, rather than the more nuanced and complex aspects, in order to generate more interest.
What we watch play a significant role in shaping what news is shown and how it is covered. While this can lead to a focus on sensational and often traumatic events, it is important to remember that the primary goal of news networks is to generate revenue through attracting the largest possible audience. This means that because the traumatic fascination effect gets more views, more traumatic things are shown.
But this has always applied, why is it getting worse?
There is a great book “Minefields: A Life in the News” by Hugh Riminton, which is a memoir by the Australian journalist that provides insight into his career and the impact of news media. In it he compairs showing the horrors of the news to serving cocktails saying, that you want:
not too much of the hard stuff, just enough that you can taste it and know it’s there
It is often said that exposure to negative news, much like exposure to alcohol, can lead to a certain level of desensitization. In both cases, repeated exposure leads to a lessening of impact, as the individual becomes increasingly immune to the adverse effects of the substance or information.
News organizations who need to stay competitive and satisfy the demand for news that is relevant and interesting to audiences, will sometimes increase the amount of ‘alcohol’ in the mix to keep their audiences attention.
It’s important to note that exposure to traumatic events can have a negative impact on mental health. While drinking in moderation may have some health benefits, excessive consumption can have serious consequences. The same is true for exposure to traumatic events. It’s important to be mindful of the impact that news can have on mental health, and to limit exposure to traumatic events whenever possible.
