Why One Should Renounce Modern News Apps for a Good Old Newspaper
You can thank me later.
Being a software engineer for almost three years, I was always intrigued by the latest tech happenings and kept trying new apps to feed my curiosity. In all, I was a big supporter of adopting modern tech.
I was delighted with the advent of news applications. I assumed now we’ll get the latest news instantly, which will be dope.
The most important thing about news is to know it right away. Right?
I was a firm believer of this until I read The Art of Thinking Clearly by Rolf Dobelli.
Rolf makes a case that we should avoid reading news entirely because he considers it a toxic form of information. He has abstained from the practice for years and even written a book on the same, named Stop Reading the News.
Rolf does make some rational points however I do not agree with him completely. I found a middle ground between Rolf’s and my opinions.
The answer is newspapers.
Lets me convince you why you should uninstall the news apps on your phone and switch to an old-school printed newspaper.
Reason #1:Newspapers Were Made To Be Read While These Apps Do a Lot More
Newspapers were designed with the intent to provide authentic news to people.
The news apps which we use nowadays do a lot more than providing information. They are developed with the intention to keeps users hooked for hours.
Newspaper is finite, and these apps are not.
In his TED Talk, Adam Alter tells how these apps are robbing us of stopping cues.
Stopping cues, as the name suggests, signals our brains to stop. When you read a newspaper, you will reach the end. The end marks the completion of the activity, and you can move on to the next one.
However, these apps do not emit any such cues. As Adam puts it, they are bottomless. You can keep scrolling for hours. Your mind does not receive any external cue to stop.
Reason #2: You Don’t Need To Stay Updated All the Time
This is a funny one.
I was a firm believer that staying updated 24/7 with the latest happenings was a must. The news might have a direct consequence on me, that is why I kept these apps on my phone.
Plus, if one is well-informed, it is easy to have conversations with friends or colleagues. People would not judge you for not knowing things.
In his books, Rolf argues, does one needs to stay updated with the latest info? He also says if the information is relevant, it will reach you through any source.
Lets me ask, what was the most important news last year?
Your answer will probably include COVID info, lockdown guidelines, vaccination announcements.
Now, imagine if you did not use a news app. You would have got this info through friends or family or a newspaper.
Reason #3: The Constant Notifications
I guess news apps send notification updates every 15–20 minutes. As I said, these apps vie for attention. The optimal use-case for them is not to provide news but to keep users glued to them.
You might argue, what is wrong with the notifications? Isn’t it obvious for a news app to give regular updates?
Let me tell you, checking your phone now and then fragments your attention span. It hinders your ability to focus. Once that happens your quality of work will suffer.
You can not concentrate on things for long, which is requisite to produce admirable results.
These apps seem innocuous, but they are not.
The good old-school newspaper will never do that to you.
Reason #4: Personalized News Feeds
Let me remind you if you do not already know online privacy is a myth.
No company will accept it, but it is an open secret that apps collect user data.
They have been tracking us for so long that they know more about us than ourselves. Our views, and our biases, what kind of content we enjoy, and every f**king thing.
Based on all the data, several apps show us personalized news feeds.
If we hold a particular bias, they may show content that supports it or not according to their convenience.
It is not surprising, people have become polarized in the last few years.
The newspaper is not that smart. It is the same for everybody.
Everyone gets the same news in the same order.
Reason #5: Quality of Content
Finally, moving on to the most annoying point.
These apps provide the latest news, but the majority of them are clickbait stuff.
I am least concerned about the high-profile adultery affairs or what actors are doing on their holidays.
I agree the same can be said for newspapers. Still, in the newspapers, you will have a dedicated page for this corny stuff which can easily be discarded.
One more issue is the ads shown in the apps.
Again in the case of newspapers, these ads aren’t customized and stimulating.
Final Thoughts
I think I made a strong case for newspapers. It is good to be updated with the latest news but not mandatory as many of us believe. Any information necessary for you will reach you eventually.
Rolf suggests we should entirely discard the practice, which I think is going overboard. Having a newspaper is a pragmatic solution
