Okay, he’s running. Media outlets have indicated that they aren’t going to give him the 24-hour-nonstop-live coverage of every rally, every speech, every Tweet, etc. We’ll see how they do on this. It’s difficult to ignore him when he’s been such a threat to our democracy, but a 30-second news item is much different than following the guy around with a camera crew 24/7.
So, what can WE do to limit how much we have to read about or listen to this guy? Online outlets — media, blogs, social media, etc. — KNOW what we’re clicking on. And they will feed us more of the same because they assume we are interested in whatever it is we click on. Ever do research online for an item you wish to purchase? Ever notice how many pop-up ads you get afterwards for that and related items? Clicks=advertising money, subscriptions, etc.
They KNOW.
Every time we click on anything with Trump’s name in it, some programming analog concludes that we, and probably others, would like to see more of it. That we really can’t quit this guy. That he still draws attention and, therefore, can be used sell advertising based on number of hits.
Today, I consciously chose what I clicked — and didn’t click — in my news feeds. I did click on articles about Biden’s and his team’s responses. But I resisted the urge to click on most headlines with his name in them, even the late-night hosts’ jokes about him, which I usually find very funny. Even here at Daily Kos, I resisted the temptation to click on most things that were posted about him. I read the APR, which included items about the announcement, and one or two of the Kos staff items.
Quite frankly, I’m sick of him.
But the amount of coverage these outlets give Trump will be driven by, in part, how much of it we eat up.
So, ask yourself — what do you really NEED to click on to keep yourself well-informed about this danger to democracy? Do you need to read every single piece about him at the NY Times, MSNBC, Politico, WaPo, etc.? Even here?
Sooner or later, we need to not give this guy the attention he so desperately craves. It’s difficult because he is such a threat to us. But perhaps if media outlets see that fewer and fewer people are clicking on fewer and fewer stories about him, they might just cut back on those stories.
I find when I don’t think about him, I feel better. He is SO toxic. So make yourself feel better AND pay less attention to him online. Quit the click!