People Who Don’t Care About What The News Says Anymore Usually Have These 11 Reasons
Tired of headlines that only stress you out? You're not alone.
Dean Drobot | Shutterstock While feeling overwhelmed by the news isn't new, Dr. Don Grant — an internationally recognized media psychologist and former president of the American Psychological Association’s Division for Media Psychology & Technology — says social media and 24/7 online access have taken it to a new level. Instead of simply reporting facts, headlines are now designed to be as dramatic and emotional as possible. This shift, Grant explains, fuels a sense of "media overload" that leaves many people feeling burned out, anxious, and emotionally exhausted.
While this is largely one of the biggest reasons people set boundaries with seeking out news and reading headlines, people who don’t care about what the news says anymore usually have a number of diverse reasons. From restructuring their daily priorities to battling trust dilemmas and even seeking information from other sources, people who’ve separated themselves from online news outlets and "clickbait" headlines are shifting their focus.
People who don't care about what the news says anymore usually have these 11 reasons:
1. They don’t trust news outlets
shurkin_son | Shutterstock.com
People who don’t care about what the news says anymore may not trust the outlets from which they’re consuming media. Not feeling a sense of trust with these outlets can be quite overwhelming, especially when it comes to fighting misinformation, steering clear of fake news, and taking care of their overall well-being amid all the emotional and stressful media.
Especially when news outlets that lean a certain way politically weaponize emotional content and clickbait headlines to drive up their engagement, like a study from the Affective Science journal explains, it’s not surprising that competent users avoid consuming it. They don’t want to feel pressured into demonizing other people and sacrificing their mental health and well-being for the sake of a community with a certain demographic, so they avoid watching the news and consuming it in general.
2. It’s all too negative
Fizkes | Shutterstock.com
Watching the news can leave people feeling more drained and burnt out, especially when misguided coverage and weaponized headlines urge viewers to enter a “fight-or-flight” state of being. Even after just 14 minutes of consuming the news, like a study from the British Journal of Psychology explains, people begin experiencing symptoms of anxiety, stress, and depression.
People who no longer pay attention to the news often do so because it feels overly negative. When possible, they choose to avoid it to protect their psychological and mental health.
3. It’s exhausting to keep up with
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A | Shutterstock.com
Especially when news stories and headlines relate to us personally — affecting our communities and identities — it has the power to harm our mood, wellbeing, and stress levels drastically. So, it’s not surprising that people who don’t care about what the news says anymore are simply exhausted by trying to balance staying informed and protecting their sanity.
Even passively reading about news that directly affects you in the media — for example, the negative impacts of new policies on LGBTQ+ youth wellbeing — can spark feelings of depression, isolation, and anxiety. Along with the negative effects of screen time for people who get most of their news online and through social media, it creates a cycle of exhaustion, guilt, shame, and fear.
4. They feel secure in their own lives
Prostock-studio | Shutterstock.com
While there are certainly advocates and news connoisseurs who live happy, healthy, and secure lives, many people who have the privilege of ignoring what’s going on in the world will do so for their own physical and mental health. They go about their lives focusing on their personal issues and routines, ignoring the worldly issues, news headlines, and social media discourse that distract and upset them.
Of course, there’s a distinction between those who selectively avoid news —skipping headlines and updates to protect their mental health — and those who consistently avoid it altogether, seeing no advantage in staying informed. Consistent avoiders are often those who operate from a position of privilege — they aren’t negatively affected by staying ignorant and usually don’t feel personally attacked by news or changes in the world.
People who don’t care about what the news says anymore could be either of these types of avoiders, but those influenced by privilege probably never cared or watched it to begin with.
5. They’re just not interested
Dean Drobot | Shutterstock.com
According to experts from the Reuters Institute, many people are turning away from the news for a variety of unique reasons. Still, for many, it’s simply because they’re not interested in staying informed or keeping up-to-date with what’s going on in the world. Their Digital News Report survey explains this shift, arguing that things like education level, age, income level, and social media usage all play a role in people’s interest in consuming news.
Like a study from the Nature Portfolio journal argues, news engagement and consumption increase with negativity, whether that’s ingrained in clickbait headlines or the presentation of the stories themselves. So, when someone is generally uninterested in the news stories themselves — or the positive framing of specific news — they’re less likely to consume it.
People who no longer care about what the news says probably have complex reasons for avoiding and disconnecting from media, but sometimes it’s as simple as not being entertained, interested, or engaged with it.
6. They don't feel represented
MAYA LAB | Shutterstock.com
According to the authors of "Avoiding the News: Reluctant Audiences for Journalism," many people who no longer consume the news are angered and frustrated by the way they’re represented within it. Whether it’s a negative narrative about their community, demographics, or identity, they find it more grounding to focus on living their lives rather than investing in misguided beliefs about who they are or how they should behave.
Feeling poorly represented by the news, especially when many other people are invested in and consuming it, can lead to feeling chronically misunderstood. Even if it seems innocent and subtle for people who don’t experience it, feeling misunderstood can have negative consequences on personal health, relationships, and well-being if sustained, like a study from the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships suggests.
7. They feel more in control without it
CarlosBarquero | Shutterstock.com
Our brains are naturally inclined to seek information, making news — especially negative stories and language — addictive for frequent consumers, says clinical psychologist Adam S. Anderson.
Once you’ve made consuming news and staying informed a ritual in your life, it can be hard to break the habit, even once it starts negatively affecting your mental health, relationships, and general wellbeing. That’s part of why some people avoid the news and don’t pay attention to what news outlets say anymore — they feel like they have no control over what’s happening and struggle with feelings of helplessness when they do engage.
8. They don’t believe it changes anything
Prostock-studio | Shutterstock.com
People who don’t care about what the news says anymore may believe that it makes no difference — that simply watching the news and staying informed, sometimes to the expense of their wellbeing, doesn’t enact any kind of positive change. Many prefer to invest their energy and time in other ways — connecting with their communities, doing volunteer work, donating, and doing their own research through healthy and trusted platforms and people.
Rooted in a lack of trust with media and politics, many advocates and changemakers protect their energy and invest their efforts into things that directly influence outcomes and make change, rather than sabotaging it by burning themselves out online.
9. They prefer to do their own research
Mavo | Shutterstock.com
Many people who care about staying informed but understand the consequences of misguided news outlets, negative stories, misinformation, and social media will do their own research. They don’t care about what the news says anymore because, for many outlets, it’s less about facts and reality and more about driving engagement by weaponizing fear, emotions, and exclusion.
People who no longer pay attention to the news typically do so because they prefer to invest their energy and time in acquiring useful information rather than wasting it on trivial outlets and stories.
10. Nothing feels clear
Prostock-studio | Shutterstock.com
Especially with news outlets trying to garner engagement with clickbait headlines, complicated language, and weaponizations of fear, it’s not surprising that many people who don’t care about the news are exhausted with trying to decode meaning and facts.
Nothing feels clear, and people who don’t care about what the news says anymore usually have this reason. In some cases, they’re not even consuming the meat of articles and stories at all — a study from the Nature Human Behavior journal argues that it’s common for people to avoid clicking links on social media posts and hardly ever read past the initial headline.
11. It makes them feel guilty
F01 Photo | Shutterstock.com
Even though feelings of guilt and shame are connected to many news experiences — like feeling emotionally drained from consuming news or feeling guilty about avoiding it entirely — many people who are no longer interested in what the news says might just be tired of dealing with internalized shame. When they read news stories, they often can’t help but feel guilty for complaining about their lives or for their part in broader world issues.
The same goes for people who take on empathetic feelings of obligation — watching the news is a reminder that they could and should be doing more. Of course, no single individual has the power to change everything and make the entire world a better place. Small acts of kindness and empathy make a big difference. If you’re a good person engaging with the news, it’s important to stay aware of your position.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a staff writer with a bachelor’s degree in social relations & policy and gender studies who focuses on psychology, relationships, self-help, and human interest stories.
