Doomscrolling. We actually have a word for the never-ending negative litany from our political and business leaders, their media friends, and “self-appointed influencers” telling us we live in chaotic, dystopian times. End Times are Near! REPENNNNNT!!!!
It’s exhausting. Is it any wonder we, and members, disengage?
To fight it, we are forced to seek out a lone voice of sanity or, God forbid, ignore the conversations.
Unfortunately, for many of us, pretending the world doesn’t exist is not realistic. Our job is to help Boards make decisions, and that requires us to understand the world and articulate it accurately.
That’s hard, though, when the odds that any media entity is trying to objectively and independently inform you about an issue are effectively zero.
Why is that?
- Reader/Viewer Alignment – Media organizations have evolved to serve specific audiences. They select and present information that appeals to those groups and makes their target viewers feel more confident in their views.
Nobody wants to read, listen to, or engage with (let alone pay for) an information source that constantly tells them their perspective is wrong or foolish. Right? I DEMAND THAT MY OPINIONS BE VALIDATED!
- Click-Based Economics – Media companies earn money based on the number of clicks or views their content receives. This incentivizes them to produce stories that attract attention. Authors need readers, viewers, etc.
Their goal is not to inform you, but to incite you.
- It Bleeds it Leads – Stories that are sensational, negative, or divisive – provoking strong emotions tend to get more attention.
Why have a headline like “Political Leaders Evaluate New Tax Policy” when you can have something like “Marxists Seek to Soak the Rich”?
The result is a media industry designed to tell you all day, every day, only what you want to hear and how everyone else is wrong.
The result is a dystopian nightmare from which you can’t possibly escape.
To help you navigate this environment, here are some quick tips.
- Evaluate the Source (Your drunk aunt) – when a party spokesperson or political leader says or writes something, you know it will be aligned with their perspective. Understand the goals of your information source. This applies to media sources, too.
For example, your drunk aunt at dinner probably didn’t become an expert in tariff policy, immigration, or the Middle East conflict in the past few days.
Take some time to evaluate the source of the information. It will mean the difference between pretending to listen while you fantasize about going to Italy, versus actually listening because you might learn something.
- Sample Size (n = a group of your friends) – I get it. Your friends are suuuuper smart. Nobody is as wise as your friends. Plus, a big bonus: when someone talks about something they are for or against, everyone nods in agreement. Mmmm, you can almost taste the dopamine.
Surrounding yourself with people who agree with you is a recipe for living in a bubble of intellectual dishonesty and isolation.
If you can’t find better friends, understand their biases and control them by consuming media they probably disagree with.
- Language Please – It takes about 5 seconds to understand the perspective and bias of most writers or media. Consider the November 2 Real Clear Politics list of headlines.
National Populists Surge Globally, Spelling Doom for Elites Henry Olsen, NY Post
What the Dutch Election Says About the Future of Europe Leo Greenberg, Persuasion
U.K. Stabbing Is Every Commuter’s Nightmare Matthew Hennessey, Wall Street Journal
Blue State Anti-ICE Laws Unconsitutional Virtue Signaling Jonathan Turley, Fox News
Feds Wrongly Charged Me for Watching ICE Sidney Reid, MSNBC
Mamdani Win Would Mean a Long, Sour Decline for NYC Michael Goodwin, NY Post
Mamdani Treatment Shows Islamophobia Still Acceptable Zainab Chaudry, The Hill
Trump Goes Great Gatsby While Millions Lose SNAP CK Smith, Salon
Spare Us the Fake Outrage Over The Gatsby Party Sasha Stone, Substack
Democrats Need To Start Driving in the Middle Lane Schoen & Cooperman, The Hill
Democrats Finally Notice That Normal People Don’t Like Them Mike Marlowe, AMAC
The Inside Story of the Worst Fire in Space History Tom Howarth, BBC
Is there any doubt about what you’ll read in most of these articles? Is there any doubt on what you’re supposed to think or do as a result?
When navigating the media environment, skim for word selection. These include “framing words or phrases,” such as “insurrection” or “defund the police.”
Look for over-the-top hyperbole or adjectives, such as “chilling” or “doom”.
Finally, look for the classic weasel words—“coulda, woulda, shoulda” — that signal the author is speculating (guessing) about possible futures. It’s not news, it’s an opinion.
Look, I understand. My favorite bias is confirmation bias. For most of us in associations, we represent people with a range of views and experiences. We can’t afford to let ourselves be taken in by propaganda or one-sided thinking.
A 2 Step Process to Navigate the Hateosphere
Believe it or not, there is a simple two-step analysis to help your organization (and you) navigate this environment. It’s one we use every day at Association Laboratory (unless we’re tired).
- Attitudinal change – Job one is understanding. That means your attitude toward a complex issue is agnostic. You are not for or against it. Your personal viewpoint is meaningless. You want to see the issue through the eyes of a babe without valuing it or developing a pre-conceived notion of what it means. Take a breath, relax, now focus on understanding.
- Collaborative analysis – Job two is to use a process that protects you from your own and others’ bias and ignorance.
- Investigate the issue, considering sources to understand how the problem is framed. For example, one group’s gun control is another group’s assault on the 2nd Amendment.
- Identify and use people with diverse perspectives and LISTEN TO THEM, instead of reflexively disagreeing or arguing.
- Use actual data – not opinions – to help inform these conversations.
The bad news? Over time, as you implement and practice these techniques, you’ll become exhausted and angry at how difficult it is to educate yourself on an issue and how stupid, myopic, ignorant, and biased many of your friends are.
The good news? You’ll have a clearer sense of the world, akin to seeing color where others see only black and white. Better yet, you’ll make better choices. At least they’ll be your own choices, not ones forced on you by some propaganda outlet.
Last Call from the Bar
A final problem with the Hateosphere is association leaders drinking their own Kool-Aid.
Everyone wants to believe they are the intelligent, rational one. Everyone else is wrong because I are so smart.
Now, in my case, that’s true, but for the rest of you, think again.
On a recent Zoom call, a person said that associations are not political and, thus, should be trusted.
I fucking laughed out loud.
The association industry has an entire domain about advocacy, and God knows how many people are employed as lobbyists, policy analysts, PAC fundraisers, and political organizers.
Associations demonstrate the same biases, ignorance, and dumbshittery as every group.
Associations are, by definition, special interest groups.
To pretend your association is objective, independent, and not political is to live in a fantasy world not supported by any logical, rational, or factual evidence.
Thus, when your association picks a political side on any argument, don’t be surprised when you are treated suspiciously or even with hostility by the opposing side. Suck it up and take accountability for your choice.
Sadly, once your credibility as an objective source of information is gone, it’s hard to get it back.
Many associations are now realizing this apparent reality.
Until some associations realize that they are often as much a part of the problem as a solution to the Hateosphere, they will keep struggling. Mission achievement, programmatic success, and member engagement will suffer as a result.
Just some thoughts From My Seat at the Bar.