Quick thread/rant on consuming news.

There is a huge difference between getting news that informs/enrages versus news that provides context/wisdom/knowledge.

In other words, I'm complaining about the old "it bleeds it leads" situation.

Social media, though, just makes it that much worse.

Take Monday. I know for a fact that lines in Georgia were incredibly long and some folks waited all day to vote.

I know this because my Twitter feed was filled with stories. Night time news covered it. MSNBC covered it. News websites led with it too.

Now it's Wednesday. I couldn't find a story on Georgia line voting to save my life.

(Ultimately I found this article via asking on Twitter. HT @conorsen @Lynn_in_Atlanta ) https://www.gpb.org/news/2020/10/14/state-tackles-check-in-slowdowns-one-in-ten-georgians-have-voted-already

The point is by Wednesday, most lines were down to 1 hour across the state, and still shattering turnout records.

The question is whether that news I learned on Monday actually informed me about the situation better than if I had never heard it?

I'd argue no, actually. In other words, the coverage amplified an emotional story (outrage over long lines) but is burying the true story that early voting is fairly easy right now.

The crazy lesson here is for each side of the political spectrum, but Dems/Progressives/Liberals in particular:

If you amplified the message that lines are long on Monday, you are HURTING your side.

Think about it: the message should be that voting in Georgia is now easy and reasonable. That will motivate voters on your side to GO OUT and VOTE.

But if you retweeted/liked a story on Monday about long lines, but haven't retweeted/liked a story on shorter lines today, you're helping discourage voters worried about lines from voting.

In other words, you're spreading outrage, but not sharing knowledge.

I don't care what side you are on, because this is a lesson about how news/social media amplifies the negative, and as individuals we contribute.

(I stay non-political on this thread.)

Finally for the biz lessons to keep to my mission:

If you're a leader, your "news diet" needs to be optimized to read through the BS and focus on news that provides insights, wisdom and knowledge.

In other words, social media is probably not necessary if you're a business leader to learn more about your industry. Even a lot of daily updates do less to inform than provide click bait.