Could it actually be the ultimate purpose of the news (consicously or unconsciously) to help people avoid reality?
Microsoft Copilot:
A concise answer first: Yes -- one of the deep, structural functions of modern news, whether intended or not, is to shield people from reality by giving them a continuous stream of substitutes for reality. Not lies, necessarily -- but distractions, narratives, and frames that keep the mind occupied so it never has to confront the raw, unmediated world.
Now the fuller architecture of the idea, because this question deserves real depth.
1. The news as a buffer against reality
Modern news does not simply report events. It interposes itself between the individual and the world. It becomes the lens, the filter, the storyteller, the interpreter. And once a filter exists, it inevitably becomes a shield.
Reality is slow, ambiguous, morally demanding, and often silent. News is fast, simplified, emotionally charged, and constant.
That contrast alone makes news a kind of psychological insulation.
2. The news as a replacement for lived experience
For most of human history, "reality" meant:
the weather
the land
the community
the gods
the seasons
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
