The relentless barrage of negative news has become a defining characteristic of our daily information diet. News i8 is here to help with that, bringing you daily news headlines from around the world. As we navigate through the chaos of global events, one can’t help but wonder: aren’t there surely as many positive stories out there as negative? Must we, the audience, be served a heaping plate of despair? While acknowledging that much of the negative news we consume is indeed reflective of the real challenges facing our world, this article suggests that the intertwining forces of media consolidation and surveillance capitalism play a crucial role in shaping the current situation. This provides an opportunity for awareness and change.
The desire for self-selected news topics was part of what made social media take off, people wanted to share more variety of interesting and overall more uplifting stories, and for a time they did. But surveillance capitalism wasn’t having that, as cat pictures and viral memes alone were not driving investments. The powers that be consolidated social media and initiated full time perception management with human and AI digital armies to steer narratives through false peer pressure. Then the news again was sufficiently negative to drive sales in many sectors and investments in the bigger picture. Beliefs, you see, drive behaviors.
The Reality of Negative News
It’s important to recognize that a significant portion of the negative news we consume is a reflection of the genuine challenges and crises facing our world. Wars, natural disasters, political turmoil, and social injustices are all very real issues that deserve attention and coverage. The media plays a vital role in informing the public and holding those in power accountable.
However, the questions remain: Is there not a feedback loop, where the news drives more war? Further, is the news we consume truly representative of the world around us, including our inability to fix problems, or is it skewed by the forces of media consolidation and surveillance capitalism? For example, why aren’t there more stories on exactly what needs to change in order to stop and prevent current problems, more stories on progress made, more daily progress reports on improvements at the roots of it all? Instead of this focus, we get headline after headline of shock and horror, doom and gloom; we get a stupidly limited selection of leaders bent on killing and over-controlling, leaders who can not be reasoned with, yet are too powerful to stop or remove! This is the illusion of helplessness we are sold which we do not question. Truly, I ask you, what the hell?
Media Consolidation: The Silencing of Diverse Voices
In recent years, the media landscape has undergone significant consolidation, with a handful of large corporations dominating the industry. As of 2022, the largest media conglomerates in terms of revenue are Comcast NBCUniversal, The Walt Disney Company, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Paramount Global. This concentration of ownership has led to a homogenization of content, as these conglomerates prioritize profit over diversity of perspectives.
The pursuit of sensationalism and clickbait has become the norm, as media outlets compete for attention in an increasingly crowded digital space. Evidence suggests that in 1983, 90% of US media was controlled by 50 companies, while in 2011, 90% was controlled by just 6 companies. This trend has continued, with some estimates claiming that as much as 90% of U.S. media is now controlled by the “Big Six” companies: Comcast, Walt Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, Paramount Global, Sony, and Fox.
Media consolidation has several adverse effects on the quality and diversity of news coverage. Locally owned media outlets are disappearing, and local coverage is at risk when news is created far from the communities it serves. Additionally, media consolidation may lead to a lack of dialogue between competing positions, allowing more extreme voices to flourish.
Surveillance Capitalism: Tailoring Content for Profit
Surveillance capitalism, a term coined by Harvard professor Shoshana Zuboff, further exacerbates the problem of negative news. This economic logic, driven by tech giants like Google and Facebook, commodifies personal data for profit. These companies use sophisticated algorithms to predict and modify human behavior, often at the expense of individual privacy and autonomy.
By tracking our online behavior and preferences, these companies can tailor content to elicit strong emotional responses, particularly fear and anger. Positive stories, while certainly present, often fail to generate the same level of engagement as their more sensational counterparts. This reliance on data-driven decision making has led to a narrowing of perspectives, as algorithms prioritize content that aligns with our existing beliefs and biases.
The Untold Stories of Progress and Resilience
While it’s true that much of the negative news we consume is reflective of real-world challenges, it’s important to recognize that there is a wealth of positive stories that often go untold. Around the world, individuals and communities are working tirelessly to address social, environmental, and economic issues, often with remarkable success.
However, these stories of progress and resilience are often overshadowed by the relentless barrage of negative news. Media outlets, driven by the pursuit of profits and engagement, prioritize content that aligns with the manipulative tactics employed by tech companies. This vicious cycle perpetuates the negative news cycle, leaving audiences feeling overwhelmed and disempowered.
Hopes for the Joy Czar
My hopes for a Joy Czar would not be only to tell positive stories, but to tell the positive truth about why and where we are stuck in each of the major negative ones. Tell us what progress, even small steps, has been made and what still needs to change to get to that actual “solved it!” joy, not just joy that results from denial and ignoring problems.
While the creation of a “Joy Czar” at NPR could be seen as a human backlash response to the negative news cycle perpetuated by media consolidation and surveillance capitalism, it may also represent a hopeful course correction in the system itself. Perhaps we are seeing the great AI business guide awakening to the fact that depressed and stressed out people don’t buy as much stuff!
By prioritizing more uplifting and positive stories, NPR is acknowledging the public’s desire for a more balanced media diet. However, it remains to be seen whether this initiative will lead to a meaningful shift in the overall tone and content of news coverage, or if it will simply be a superficial attempt to boost engagement. Ultimately, the success of the “Joy Czar” will depend on whether NPR is willing to tackle the deeper structural issues driving the proliferation of negative news, such as the profit motives of media conglomerates and the data-driven tactics of surveillance capitalism. If done right, the “Joy Czar” could be a model for how news organizations can adapt to the digital age while still upholding their responsibility to inform and empower the public. But if it is merely a band-aid solution, it may only serve to further entrench the very problems it seeks to address.
Conclusion
The relentless barrage of negative news is not an inevitable consequence of the digital age, nor is it solely a reflection of the challenges facing our world. Rather, it is a product of the interplay between media consolidation and surveillance capitalism. By understanding the underlying forces at work, we can take steps to create a more balanced and empowering information ecosystem.
This will require a concerted effort from media professionals, tech companies, policymakers, and engaged citizens alike. We must demand a more diverse and representative media landscape, one that prioritizes quality journalism over sensationalism and clickbait. We must also hold tech companies accountable for their role in perpetuating the negative news cycle and work to create alternative models that prioritize privacy and ethical data use.
Most importantly, we must seek out and amplify the stories of progress and resilience that are often overlooked. By celebrating the individuals and communities working to create a better world, we can shift the narrative and inspire others to take action. Only by working together can we break the cycle of despair and embrace the full spectrum of human experience, from the challenges we face to the triumphs we celebrate.
