One thing that gets overlooked IMO is how more perceptive we are of the world’s issues these days. A hundred years ago, things like the war in Ukraine or the refugee crisis would seem like detached affairs that have zero bearing in anyone else’s life because for the most part they don’t. Now, in less than thirty seconds you can open up half a dozen articles detailing their political consequence and the horrors experienced by their fellow man. All of this is in the kind of detail that is nearly impossible to find in any other time period due to how far information tech has come.
In terms of general welfare, we live in probably one of the best ages humanity has ever had. Yet we see so many of the flaws of our society that it seems worse than it actually is because we’re comparing it to a past that we really don’t know as well as we think we do.
I wish I knew how to get people my age to look past the bad and see the good for once, but negativity sells for a reason. Maybe someday cynicism will turn “cringe” and they’ll adapt.
I originally thought media exposure was a primary driver too (and I think it probably is, to some degree), but that doesn't seem to explain the differences in pessimism between Millennials and Gen Z. According to Twenge's research (which might be off, of course), Millennials are very confident (except about the economy) and Gen Z the reverse. So it seems we're sliding in terms of pessimism. I'm not sure Gen Z consumes more news media (for example) than Millennials. But maybe they do or do so in a way that really primes the negative stories. Hard to tell.
But overall, you're right that our exposure to negative stories really impacts the way we think about the world. This is particularly true of parenting. I see people on social media constantly claiming that kids can't be as independent these days because the world is less safe when exactly the opposite is true. And that leads to a lot of really bad outcomes for both kids and parents.
I think you mean Arnold Kling.
I think.
One thing that gets overlooked IMO is how more perceptive we are of the world’s issues these days. A hundred years ago, things like the war in Ukraine or the refugee crisis would seem like detached affairs that have zero bearing in anyone else’s life because for the most part they don’t. Now, in less than thirty seconds you can open up half a dozen articles detailing their political consequence and the horrors experienced by their fellow man. All of this is in the kind of detail that is nearly impossible to find in any other time period due to how far information tech has come.
In terms of general welfare, we live in probably one of the best ages humanity has ever had. Yet we see so many of the flaws of our society that it seems worse than it actually is because we’re comparing it to a past that we really don’t know as well as we think we do.
I wish I knew how to get people my age to look past the bad and see the good for once, but negativity sells for a reason. Maybe someday cynicism will turn “cringe” and they’ll adapt.
I originally thought media exposure was a primary driver too (and I think it probably is, to some degree), but that doesn't seem to explain the differences in pessimism between Millennials and Gen Z. According to Twenge's research (which might be off, of course), Millennials are very confident (except about the economy) and Gen Z the reverse. So it seems we're sliding in terms of pessimism. I'm not sure Gen Z consumes more news media (for example) than Millennials. But maybe they do or do so in a way that really primes the negative stories. Hard to tell.
But overall, you're right that our exposure to negative stories really impacts the way we think about the world. This is particularly true of parenting. I see people on social media constantly claiming that kids can't be as independent these days because the world is less safe when exactly the opposite is true. And that leads to a lot of really bad outcomes for both kids and parents.