Cheap online political thrills

I just got back from a week in Vermont, and for most of that time I avoided the Internet. I ended up being more relaxed, reading more, and sleeping more. Though hanging out in a cabin in the woods was the main reason why, I suspect that the absence of political blogs was also a factor.

Over the last several months, I’ve been compulsively reading the liberal blogs, such as Atrios and Daily Kos, as a cheap emotional thrill. Those blogs highlight the latest outrage from the Bush White House, telling you what to feel outraged about and why. They bring forth a cathartic reaction, which is energizing in the short term and has motivated me to donate a lot more money to Democratic campaigns. However, that online political high has become a net negative, intellectually and emotionally.

For example, I spend much more time on political blogs and an online politics forum than I do reading news stories about current events. That ratio should really be reversed, since a journalistic account provides so much more substance than what most bloggers have to say. Plus, I’d rather form my own opinions from direct reports, instead of soaking in pre-digested formulations from someone reading the same news stories.

To break my current pattern, I’ll stop reading blogs and online forums until Election Day. Instead, I’ll rely on books, newspapers, magazines, and other published media as information sources. Or I’ll find other ways to occupy my time. After that hiatus, I’ll figure out a healthier balance between blogs, forums, and other media.