Why we crave news, how our use of news differentiates us, and what we can do to create better news and better-informed citizens.
TikTok. Short videos. Nighttime talk shows. Podcasts. The way we deliver news has changed drastically, as has the way we consume it. We no longer rely on news just to learn and learn, we expect it to be fun too. In her book Pleasure in Breaking News, Jennifer Howie explains how and why this shift toward enjoying the news happened, and whatWe can do to address the information crisis we face today.
Evidence suggests that decisions we make for pleasure make us less informed - contrary to what we might expect - because they lead us to ignore other important news. This book explains why we don't always choose the best news sources, how we interact with the news sources we choose, and how this information affects our political knowledge and decisions.The writer also offers solutions to improve the news industry and its future use. Specifically, it shows how news consumers can break the vortex of their excessive news consumption; how news companies and social media can contribute to reducing our automatic amplification of fun news; and how we can all improve the quality of the information we search for and share.
