How to Stay Informed (While Staying Sane)

I’m guilty of doom-scrolling. In the morning, before I’ve gotten out of bed, wiped away the sleep from my eyes, or reflected on God’s mercies anew, as in Lamentations 3:22-23, I put my phone too close to my face to scroll through Instagram. Partially to get a dopamine hit, and partially out of habit, this has been my morning routine. I spend hours aimlessly wandering the internet. This is fueled by this hunger for more — more information, more relatable videos, and more content to consume.  

I love watching videos about recipes I can recreate, laughing at memes about obscure and hyper specific Christian quirks, and sending my friends funny content about friends. In my defense, I am doing it for “research” as someone who helps run the InterVarsity social media accounts (Go follow @intervarsityusa on Instagram right now. Thanks!). 

I try to convince myself sometimes that doing this is not all in vain. As someone passionate about justice, it has also made way to civically engage — sharing posts about mutual aid, reading about unjust happenings around the world, and reposting information about the humanitarian crises in Palestine, Congo, and Myanmar. 

Being online is how I stay in the loop with what is happening around me and around the world. However, it’s one thing to love God and your neighbor by wielding the knowledge you have for good. And is another to let ourselves be puffed up by the idolatry of knowledge. 

So, as college students navigating the age of information, what do we do on a practical level as peacemakers called to act justly, walk humbly, and love mercy? Here are a few ways to get started. 

1. Be connected but not consumed. 

Steward your time well by setting limits around technology usage. You can do this by having a designated time of day to be on social media and keep in touch with your friends. I really love Forest, an app that helps you to stay focused by keeping your apps closed for a set amount of time. I’ve found that having systems in place to keep myself from doomscrolling has helped set me up for success! 

Being conscious of how we consume media is important, and not just only to be aware of the time we might be wasting. It can also keep us from spiraling out of the overwhelming deluge of information we deal with on a daily basis. 

2. Be knowledgeable but humble.

There are other ways to be in the know of what’s happening in the world. You can visit the library and check out books, periodicals, and newspapers. Borrow your friend’s readings. Engage in dialogue with your community. Communal models of learning teach us to engage not just with information but also with the people who hold the information as well. This is unlike the individualistic doomscroll, which keeps us in our little bubble without meaningful engagement with the world around us. 

So join the discourse, especially around political or controversial issues, with humility. Put into action James 1:19 and “be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.” When learning about people’s different perspectives, it can be tempting to be militant about why people should believe what you believe in. Instead, be an agent of peace in the spaces you’re in. 

3. Be willing to lament and remain hopeful. 

Let yourself feel. I sometimes find myself doomscrolling more when I’m avoiding my emotions. It can be tempting to cope with despair by shutting off everything you’re feeling and mindlessly scrolling on your phone. However, this is contrary to Scripture’s call in Romans 12:15 to “rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn.” 

Our emotions are a gift from God. When we see news that makes us sad or overwhelmed, let’s make space to lament. Let’s remember that we can go to God with the fullness of our emotions, and not just push them down and distract ourselves on social media. 

Most importantly, let’s hold on to hope. We must recognize that we don’t wrestle against flesh and blood in our dealing with the darkness of the world, and that at the end of the day, Jesus has won the victory over sin and brokenness. Find hope in the finished work of Jesus, who does not change like the shifting shadows (James 1:17). 

As we do this, let’s remember that as Christ’s disciples, we must be known by our love. In 1 Corinthians 8:1, Paul talks about sacrificing food to idols as not being predicated on knowledge but on love, which builds up. Staying informed can be a way for you to love your neighbor this election year. Let love fuel our desire to be informed. Let love give us the capacity to care for our neighbor in polarized times. 

I end this article with the words of Jay Kim in his book Analog Christian. He says that Jesus’ love is “strong enough to free us from the stranglehold of the digital age’s deformational impact on our sense of self and rebuild us from its rubble”. When we find ourselves doomscrolling, let us remember who we are in God, made in his image, created in love for flourishing. Let us not succumb to doom. 

In an election season, doom-scrolling might intensify for many of us. For more resources, check out our Bible study on God's Good News About Politics.