Think of media like an organism.
To survive, it must adapt and evolve.
Ultimately, the lifeblood of media is attention. Without attention, there’s no monetary value in it. Without attention, there’s no media.
Media needs people’s attention to survive, so it must always optimize for attention.
In a globally interconnected world, with infinite information sources, competition for attention is intense. And what is the most effective way to get the attention of the most amount of people? Sensationalism. Especially fear-based sensationalism.
Picture a cave man walking through the woods. There’s a patch of berries on his right, a beautiful mountain view in front of him and a saber tooth tiger to his left. Which one dominates his attention? The saber tooth tiger, of course.
When there is anything that threatens survival, everything else goes out the window and the “threat” becomes our focus (to ensure survival). Yet this also extends to things we believe could threaten survival: crime, economic crashes, natural disasters, political instability…etc.
In a world where there’s so much competition for attention, the media sources that trigger the most fear will dominate most people’s attention.
Media is literally hyper-optimized for sensationalism, because it’s the most effective way to get maximum attention and ensure its own survival.
Once you realize this, you can see it for what it is, and become resilient to impulsive, fear-programmed reactions. You can view information from a neutral perspective, without getting swept up in the hype.
When you fear for your survival, you’re operating completely out of the reptilian brain and aren’t capable of rational or creative thinking.
In our world, the media is (metaphorically) telling us there’s a saber tooth tiger behind every tree. They’re even parading around cardboard cutouts of saber tooth tigers, and making fake roaring sounds in the distance, just to make sure they have our attention.
Those who fall for this run around in panic, try to fight imaginary foes, or freeze in fear.
Yet if you center yourself and see through the illusion, you can enjoy the berries and the beautiful mountain view. And if a saber tooth tiger actually comes, you’ll sense it from a mile away and respond accordingly with masterful grace.
Find your center.
Much love.
~ Stephen Parato