In April of 1999 I became utterly consumed by mass media. The Columbine massacre prompted me to watch the news on a daily basis and to hear reports as to why this event occurred. I remember about one week later I was in my mother’s room watching the news ever so religiously when she came in the room to find me crying. I remember I was irate with how the news allocated the problems of these boys to the type of music they listened to. I was so upset that the media would prescribe their musical preference as the key component to their inner problems, and neglected to see that there were perhaps other reasons as to why they were the way they were—such as having a mental disorder or suffering from bullying etc. Certainly I was not and still do not agree with the crimes they committed, however I was just shocked at how the media reports stories and how/where they place their blame. Needless to say, my mother only found it appropriate that I take a break from the news.
One year later I found myself once again glued to the T.V. this time I was infatuated with the Bush vs. Gore Election, although I could not legally vote at the time I was very much so interested in the political debates and the ways in which the candidates portrayed themselves and marketed to the public. The anxiety of this election kept everyone around the globe on the edge of their seats and as you could well imagine a young mind could become as easily consumed with the media coverage just as much as the adult population— perhaps even more so as this is a time of teenage angst and discovering one’s political voice and opinions. With the world waiting breathlessly to find out who the next president would be, I once again became overwhelmed with the media coverage. The intensity and the drama that surrounded the situation and the emotions that arose in the days following the election with re-counts and so forth infected my brain as if it were a timorous legion. After the conclusions calmed it was only necessary for me to once again forfeit my relationship with the news stations. But of course I was weak and would return to the obsessive concerns with news sources several more times; certainly with 9/11 again in 2003 when the U.S. went to war with ‘terror’ and with the Bush vs. Kerry election of 2004.
While I was able to recognize that my emotional involvement with the media coverage of these events was completely irrational, it never seemed to stop me from going back to it. Keeping my irrational connection in mind I made a conscious decision to watch the news very infrequently and always with caution. In fact I often avoided the news to ensure that I would not become upset with the content or feel depressed with the habitual negativity.
In my current position as a professor I find it is necessary to stay on top of my game by remaining up-to-date with what is current and relevant in my own field as well as have a good understanding of current events as this can be rather valuable in the learning process. That being said, in an attempt to ease myself into the world of current events I am using my commute as an opportunity to absorb what is going on in the world by listening to NPR/WGBH. Thus far I do find it to be effective. My time in the car is a bit longer than I would care for, however it is a sufficient amount of time to gather information and understand current happenings. I can also appreciate that my time listening to these news casts are limited to the distance that I am driving, and therefore I cannot become overly attached to the media sources.
I sincerely believe that in our society we are highly desensitized and perhaps overly desensitized by what we see on T.V. or hear on the radio. I know that for me I become too emotionally connected to the media which is why I restrain my news-time but for others images or sounds are merely background music to their daily lives. I certainly hope that individuals do stop and listen to stories that they believe move them, but how often do people get ready or drink their coffee with the news on and only stop to see the weather or the traffic and not if there was a murder recently or act of violence— let alone if there is a positive story to report.
It seems evident to me that from an evolutionary perspective it is necessary for our body to block out some information and to desensitize us after awhile. For example, images of 9/11 still move us today, but nothing compares to the first time we saw the plane crash into the building. If, again from an evolutionary stand point, we were as moved as the first time we saw this horrid crime take place then we would have sincere difficulties with productivity in our daily lives. That being said, where do we draw the line? It seems that watching/listening to the news is a citizen of the world’s responsibility but watching it to the degree that we do seems to make us emotionally unresponsive. How can we effectively maintain a balance then? How can we educate ourselves without overwhelming us but in a manner that elicits more human empathy?
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