I saw a comment this morning lamenting the imbalance of positive and negative news content that we are given.
There are scientific studies (Negativity drives online news consumption) that show this type of content generates higher engagement. So whether news organisations are aware of their editorial direction or not, the clicks that drive the content they publish push them into this space.
I am not suggesting we stop discussing the important serious issues of the day.
Though, I will be actively trying to share more positive articles with you all going forward and I encourage you to join me.
I’m going to sound cynical here so if you don’t want to be confronted with negative content, please skip this one…
spoiler
Did I just read an ad for “Mike’s Hard Lemonade co.” and Brand Studio Inc.? The “experiment” they made is not scientific and it doesn’t have to exist to begin with. The point about happiness and media consumption was already researched seriously (which is also mentioned in this article).
So why does this article have to have a bright yellow background and spinning lemonades on the side and mentions a specific brand multiple times? Is it relevant to the “Good News Effect” or media consumption patterns? No… it’s an ad that uses scientific work and the topic of happiness to boost a brand’s public perception. Again… maybe it’s just me… but having a discussion about happiness and media consumption should not be based on a Mike’s Hard ad campaign imo.