AI Image
Are our phones bad for us? And how about our politics?
Slate • • world
Key Points:
- The author recounts a 23-day off-grid retreat in northwest Scotland to escape the relentless anxiety induced by constant exposure to distressing news and social media.
- The piece critiques the toxic cycle of doomscrolling and the media's exploitation of fear to keep people perpetually engaged and emotionally drained.
- The author emphasizes that taking breaks from news and digital overstimulation is vital for mental health, arguing that hyperawareness is not virtuous but symptomatic of mental illness.
- Despite the temporary relief found in nature, the author acknowledges the ongoing global crises and political cruelty that persist unchanged upon returning to civilization.
- Ultimately, the article advocates for self-care and periodic disengagement from the news cycle as necessary acts of survival rather than moral failings.
