Revert to 9-10 mode if you think social and mainstream media is keeping you on edge

Media is no longer just a medium of getting you information these days, it has become an addictive drug. You simply cannot have enough of it. There are many youths today who are addicted to WhatsApp, twitter, reddit, BBC, NYT, etc. and even spend most of their daily routine in consuming political narratives on digital zones such as these.

When I was a kid in 1990s, there used to be only one channel in India called DD-1 or Doordarshan. And there used to air just one News show between 9:30 to 10:00 in the evening, and people waited for it after a whole day's errand. Even for the best of thinkers, philosophers and intellectuals of our country, this one show was enough to make a sense of what's happening in the country and then take our decisions based on that.

Today, we are living in a much different world, we are living in the age of narratives. Very few people trust the government's narrative these days, so a govt. sponsored channel won't be acceptable to many. But then, even out of the myriad other news channels, how many are objective? Each one will be catering to a different kind of audience depending on whether they are supports of left wing, right wing or centrists. You get confused with so many channels with different narratives and ask a seasoned guy for advice, the seasoned guy says nobody is objective today, so you must watch ALL of them to get an objective view of reality!

And not to mention the zillions of twitter accounts you've been following of your favorite politicians, movie stars, news channels, etc. who also keep bringing their own "views". If you are one of them who consume all these media zones on a daily basis then my friend, you badly need to fix this situation!

There is never an end to it if you start craving for information, you can get as much as you want in today's world. But ask yourself, do you really need to spend that much time on just consuming news? Wouldn't you rather make better and more constructive use of your time if you stick to just one hour of consuming news every day?

Unless you are a pro who specifically works in this field (such as a reporter, politician, etc.), I don't think its a productive use of your time to just consume these media zones. Instead, reserve one hour of time (preferably between 09:00 to 10:00 in the evening) specifically to consume news and nothing else. Half hour was perhaps appropriate in a world where news sources were more objective and less influenced which is no longer the case today, so you may watch two news shows of half hour each in that slot. These shows should be of differing viewpoints, so that you can get a perspective of both sides.

Give it a try for at least a week, you'll feel more fulfilled and informed, and also stay less edgy about the happenings in this world. As an added benefit, you'll be able to sleep more soundly at night, trust me!