Have you yet been acquainted with the term “critical ignoring?” If not, allow me to introduce you.
What is Critical Ignoring?
We mere mortals only have so much time and energy. Those of us who are extremely online are often overly inundated with information, some of which isn’t actually “information,” but opinion, harassment, noise, false information, and so on. Therefore, it’s crucial that we learn not only to think critically, but also when to filter out the nonsense entirely. This is where critical ignoring comes in. As defined by psychological scientists Anastasia Kozyreva and Sam Wineburg, et al, critical ignoring is
the ability to choose what to ignore and where to invest one’s limited attentional capacities. It is not simply about disregarding information, but rather, it involves developing mindful and healthy habits in the face of information overload.
So, this is not simply recognizing a falsehood for what it is and deciding not to believe it. Critical ignoring also includes filtering out falsehoods before they get to you, and avoiding engaging when you do see something is off. Kozyreva and Wineburg explain that critical ignoring can include things like curating your online environment so that you are less exposed to potentially false information, making a conscious decision to steer clear of unverified (or unverifiable) sources, and ignoring trolls.
Avoiding and ignoring false and unverified info are the more straightforward aspects of critical ignoring. Most of us will agree we don’t want to believe things that aren’t true. We all know someone who’s been sucked in by a fake news story they didn’t double check. Maybe that someone has even been you. It totally happens! And the cumulative effect of false information over time can lead to extreme views or beliefs in conspiracy theories. Many of my clients grew up in conservative religious families, and the overlap of fundamentalists and QAnon believers is, well… not nil. And with the increase of AI and deep fakes, we know we need to be more careful than ever about which sources we trust.
Don’t Feed The Trolls
When it comes to our mental health, especially as queer folks and those recovering from religious harm, we really do have to remember, DON’T FEED THE TROLLS. I believe this concept is increasingly important for us in the LGBTQ+ community, especially for my trans and gender diverse folks out there. As the political and cultural war on trans folks, reproductive rights, and bodily autonomy in general continues to rage, there will be no shortage of bullshit online. So, for the sake of your own mental health, please, please remember: you do not have to read/listen to it all. It is okay to block troll accounts. It is okay not to engage. You don’t always have to defend. It is okay to curate your online experience. It is okay to close the app and go do something else.
I know that can feel hard. It can feel hard for me too. Sometimes I’m just going about my day, scrolling Instagram on my lunch break, reading some perfectly lovely post from a queer activist, and then I arrive at the comments. And you know what happens. Some troll has popped in to insist that trans isn’t a thing, or all gays are wrong, or whatever stupid assholery seems to be the flavor of the day. And ooooh, of course I want to LET THEM HAVE IT. I feel the tension rising in my chest and throat. My blood gets pumping and my heart rate increases. I imagine some smug jerk with an ugly grin using his multiple troll accounts to ruin people’s days, because he has nothing better to do. (In my mind, he is a cross between Eric Cartman, and Will Ferrell’s character in Wedding Crashers.) I start formulating clever quips to hurl back. I mean, am I supposed to just sit here and let this asshole get away with bullying my people?
But all of this is, in the end, stressing ME out. It’s MY blood pressure that is rising, not Keyboard Cartman over there. And for what? Am I going to change anyone’s mind or heart by engaging with this troll? No. I’m not.
Feeling Obligated to Say Something
I wonder if, for those of us who are exvangelicals, it feels extra difficult to not say something. Part of our training – our indoctrination – was to spread “the word” and to never be ashamed of what we believed in. We learned to proudly and openly identify as a “Jesus Freak” (thanks DC Talk). Except now, instead of letting God down, the fear is I’m letting down the collective queer movement by not standing up to online bullies. But the reality is that there are much better, more efficient ways to use my time and energy to further the causes that matter. For me personally, that means saving my energy for my clients, who are primarily LGBTQ+ and recovering from religious harm. So I must remember, I’m not letting anyone down; I’m simply redirecting and prioritizing.
Siloing?
The other thing that pops up for me, when I give myself permission to block trolls or walk away, is concern about creating an echo chamber or an ideological silo in which I will never be exposed to contrary thought or challenging ideas. While I think this is, in general, a valid concern given the way the algorithms apparently work, forcing ourselves to engage with hateful or unfounded online content (or sparring with Keyboard Cartman) isn’t the best way to expand our thinking. If possible, we can choose to have respectful conversations with people in our lives who think a little differently. If that sounds like an unrealistic fantasy scenario (respectful debate?!), you can intentionally read or listen to material from reputable sources that can challenge your point of view. Your social media experience doesn’t have to be fraught in order for you to have a balanced view of society and in fact, I’d wager that it doesn’t really do much to balance your view anyway.
Limit Your Exposure To Reality
In addition to filtering out fake news and ignoring the trolls, in the interest of our mental health I would like to take this concept of critical ignoring one step further. We need time away from the truth. I encourage you to allow yourself to take space from even the most reliable sources. That is not to say we should be willfully ignorant of what is going on in our world, our country, or our local municipalities. But we do not need to be focused on it or notified about all of it, all of the time. The world is full of truly terrible things happening. And it is important to know, care, and act. So do that. Be informed, and make decisions about what you’d like to take action about, but do not push yourself to dwell on these terrible things 24 hours a day. Nonstop guilt, fear, and sadness does nothing to remedy the problems of the world and it will leave you feeling burnt out and exhausted. Give your mind and heart an opportunity to rest.
My recommendation for most people is to consume your news in the first half of the day. One way to do this is to pay for a subscription to a reputable news source and receive their daily email each morning with updates and headlines. Another might be to peruse your favorite news app over breakfast. Do not let news apps push their notifications on your phone or laptop all day. Avoid most TV news. Don’t follow news accounts in your social media feeds. Will you still see news items in socials? Yes, of course you will, occasionally. And there will be exceptions to these rules – you might make a decision to watch a presidential debate in the evening, for example (ugh). What I don’t want is for you to be constantly interrupted all day with bad (or repetitive) news, or routinely reading about the slowpocalypse at 9pm as you’re “winding down” for the evening. It does not make you a better person or better citizen to lie awake feeling distressed about whatever horrible story you just read. Be stressed out and upset in the morning instead, when it’s time to be awake.
Critical ignoring. This is the vibe for 2024. Find the information that is real, ignore what isn’t (or might not be), don’t feed the trolls, and give your mind and heart time away from the awful truth. Protect your brain, and your energy, so you can use it deliberately, in the ways you prefer and need.