If you’re wondering how to survive the election season and stay calm when everybody seems to be losing their minds, you’re in the right place. If you handle that tension the right way, you will keep your head cool and avoid unnecessary stress.
Let’s cut to the chase.
The Pre-Election Internet Is Not What It Seems
During election season, all kinds of people come out of the woodwork. Politicians, activists, reporters, voters, meddlers, marketers, bad actors, bots (according to some sources, 49.6% of all internet traffic came from bots in 2023), and many others; all of them are competing for your attention. This means sensationalist headlines, divisive claims, and loud pictures. Emotion prevails over logic. In the fast-paced world of social media, it is more efficient to enrage a voter than to convince them rationally: anxiety generates clicks.
Our goal is to survive election season and break the cycle on an individual level.
I would not suggest you go offline because I’m assuming you would prefer to stay informed. What you can do is this: pick the slowest source of information. Skip the “emotionally unintelligent” social media altogether. Switch to the more factual news websites or expert blogs. Do not just skim the headlines: open that article and read it from start to finish. Verify the sources to the best of your ability. Schedule your time consuming the news: for most people, thirty minutes a day is enough.
(An unorthodox piece of advice I’ve heard from a friend: to endure the election season, read history books. You will realise humans have always been crazy and this is just a normal Tuesday on planet Earth.)
Finally, discussing your point of view face-to-face can be a great source of relief. As cliche as it sounds, talk to your friends and/or family. Meet up for coffee. Give them a video call. A burden shared is a burden halved and all that jazz.
Most importantly, remember: you have a chance to shape the future of your country and the world. So, vote with clarity and reason – not emotion.
And in the meantime, here is some good music.
Election or not, we are just as enthusiastic about the future of technology. Senstone develops wearables and productivity solutions for both businesses and individual users. Check out our website for more info.
