Escaping the Echo Chamber of Doom
On negativity, perspective, and hope for the future
To the deep thinkers,
Welcome to the Deep Thinkers Newsletter: A collection of essays dedicated to going beyond the surface.
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Recently, my girlfriend and I had a passionate conversation about something she’d seen on the news. I got a little too passionate and ended up coming off like an a**hole, which I immediately felt terrible about. However, my passion didn’t originate from the story itself but from the fatalistic way she described it.
I felt despair and hopelessness emanating from her at that moment, and I jumped into a rant about how negative we’ve all become, how negative news gets the most attention, and how this cycle of pessimism shapes what we consume. (In short, I came off as a pretentious jerk, even if that wasn’t my intention at all.)
I apologized for being so abrasive, and my girlfriend, who has always shown me so much grace, listened and thought for a moment before responding.
She said, “I get it. But this time it feels different.”
She’s right—things do feel different. I understand why people are scared; I feel it, too. I share the outrage that surges through us as we hear news of families pulling their loved ones from collapsed buildings while world leaders offer hollow justifications. I feel the fury as people of color are trampled time and time again, as families are torn apart, as injustice repeats itself like a ruthless cycle.
We cannot control these feelings, but we also can’t control those who run the world. Above all, we can’t save everyone.
At some point, fury and despair do more harm than good. We must decide when to cut off our connection to negativity because the more we focus on fearmongering, negativity, and gossip, the harder it becomes to see the progress or beauty that still exists in the world.
Pandora's box of negativity
I've clung to negativity for much of my life.
Pessimism often felt like a shield.
If I expected the worst, disappointment couldn’t take me by surprise.
I was wrong, of course, but it took me a long time to understand that. My cynicism didn’t protect me. It didn’t make me a better partner, friend, or son, and it didn’t help me manage my emotions—it only reinforced my habit of suppressing them. My dour disposition did nothing but alienate me from those I loved. In the end, my way of seeing the world only added to my suffering.
Recognizing the problem was one thing; changing my attitude has been an entirely different battle.
Letting go of negativity isn’t as simple as flipping a switch. For me, staying positive has often felt like trying to push a boulder uphill with nothing but my breath—impossible. After all, humans are wired to focus on the negative, and deeply ingrained personality traits don’t change overnight. Shifting perspective takes time, effort, and intentionality, and I am still working on myself.
For my fellow recovering pessimist, it’s the longing to see the sun again after the storm that keeps us in the fight. Despite what the news and social media might suggest, I refuse to believe the world is nothing but darkness and despair. In fact, it’s this overwhelming sense of fatalism that has driven me to write this essay.
I want to explore the outrage and disillusionment that have consumed us. Is hoping for a brighter future—as I’ve often believed—truly a waste of time? Only time will tell, but while we’re here, why not challenge the notion that all is lost?
The internet revolutionized how we communicate and access information, but at the same time, it has become a Pandora’s box of negativity and outrage—a hub of anger and vitriol where many express their hatred anonymously, often with little to no repercussions.
The most vile news stories go viral, while gossip-driven platforms thrive by showcasing the worst in humanity—all for the sake of clicks and attention. Unless you actively curate your feed, the cycle never seems to end.
If we rely solely on news outlets or spend too much time online, it’s easy to fall for the myth that we’ve never been more divided as a people. But really? Have we never been more divided? Let’s be honest—social division is nothing new.
In the United States, we’ve seen:
The American Civil War
The Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s and 1970s
The Great Depression and the rise of extremism
And around the world:
Post-World War I nationalism
Apartheid in South Africa
The General Crisis of the 17th Century
History is full of deep divisions—both globally and domestically—yet humanity has persevered. The question isn’t whether division exists; it’s whether we choose to see beyond it. Unfortunately, with unlimited access to information and a flood of opinions from every direction, it feels as if things have never been worse.
So, I have to ask: At what point does more information hurt more than it helps?
Often, when people seek more information, they aren’t searching for truth—they’re searching for validation. If their emotions are negative, their search becomes a scavenger hunt for evidence that confirms their pessimism.
This is negativity bias in effect—the psychological tendency to focus more on negative experiences, information, or emotions than positive ones.
For example, imagine you try out a new hairstyle. At first, you get tons of compliments. You’re feeling yourself, prancing around like emo Peter Parker. But then, one person (because that’s all it takes) pokes fun at your new do and says you look like Mandark from Dexter’s Laboratory. Suddenly, that single comment drowns out all the praise. It doesn’t matter that most people liked your hair or that they went out of their way to compliment you. The only thing rattling around in your brain is that one piece of negative feedback.
The triumvirate of bias
Rooted in evolution, negativity bias helped humans survive by prioritizing potential threats. But today, it distorts our perception of reality, amplifies fear, and overshadows progress.
The news and social platforms thrive on engagement, and nothing captures attention quite like negativity.
Fear, outrage, and conflict drive higher viewership, more clicks, and longer screen time—fueling advertising revenue and platform growth. Because of this, media algorithms and editorial choices prioritize sensationalized, emotionally charged content, creating a cycle where negativity dominates our feeds and screens. The result? A warped perception of reality, one where crises, scandals, and disasters seem omnipresent while progress, solutions, and everyday acts of kindness fade into the background.
And negativity bias doesn’t work alone. It’s reinforced by two other cognitive tendencies:
Availability bias makes our brains overrepresent negative events, making the world seem worse than it is. For example, if the news constantly reports violent crimes, we may believe crime is rising, even when statistics show a decline.
Confirmation bias strengthens preexisting beliefs, leading us to seek out and accept information that supports our views while ignoring contradictory evidence. If we already believe the world is falling apart, we’ll find proof to confirm it and dismiss anything that challenges that belief.
Together, these biases create a self-perpetuating cycle—one where our fears shape the information we consume, and the information we consume reinforces our fears.
The view from above
Research shows that what we see on the news can significantly impact our mental health. Constant exposure to negativity shapes our perception of reality. When we absorb too much doom and despair, not only does our mood feel the impact, but how we see the world is altered. In particular, our brains are wired for pattern recognition, so when we consume an abundance of negativity online, stepping out into the world feels like venturing out into the very nightmare we believe the world is.
Rather than notice the beauty around us, our brains will highlight all that is rotten, and it takes effort to break free of this spell; it doesn’t happen on its own.
To be clear, I am not recommending complete detachment from the suffering happening in the world. To ask that we bury our heads in the sand is no solution at all. I instead invite us all to understand that seeking positive and progressive news is also part of remaining informed. It is this kind of news that keeps hope alive, and it’s hope that keeps us fighting even when it appears that we’re fighting in vain.
If we want to break free from the cycle of negativity, we need a new way of seeing the world—one that doesn’t ignore hardships but also doesn’t let them overshadow everything else.
The Airplane Principle (a personal guiding philosophy I’ve used to help me remain open-minded) is a mindset that encourages us to rise above and view the full landscape of reality. This approach challenges us to take in the entire picture—of a story, a person, or the world at large, recognizing both the struggles and the progress unfolding around us.
From above, it’s clear that while there is desolation and despair, there is also vibrant greenery, moments of joy, and communities coming together to build.
No matter what others might say, we can always:
Put negative information into context. Step back and consider the bigger picture.
Question our beliefs. Ask yourself: Could I be wrong? Am I seeing the full story?
Seek out the good. Balance your perspective by exploring positive news sources like the Good News Network and Positive News.
Life is about hanging on and riding the waves. There will always be ebbs and flows. We go up. We come down. Don’t let those who’ve commodified our fear dictate if we’ll remain on balance or not.
No matter what the news is reporting, you can control how you treat people. You have a say in how much time you spend with your loved ones. You can control how much time you spend giving back to your community. These are the things that make the world a better place.
A better future isn't built by those who saunter through life with a dark cloud over their heads. It is built by the optimists who know how to balance staying informed with solutions and personal responsibility.
It’s true, we have had to endure dark times, from war to oppression to economic collapse, and yet we always make it through.
The fear and disillusionment we feel today are not new. Still, despite it all, we must press forward. As Kendrick Lamar powerfully declares in "Alright":
Wouldn’t you know
We been hurt, been down before.
That’s right; we’ve been down before. Yes, the world is heavy. Yes, we’ve seen suffering. But if history has proven anything, it’s that resilience is in our DNA. We have survived, adapted, and fought for something better. So, while the negativity feels overwhelming, I remind myself that we are still here. We are still living. And I believe at my core, we gon’ be alright.
What I’m into this week:
Men expect boys to act like men, but there’s rarely a man in their lives patiently teaching them how to be one!
In other words, like my favorite movie, The Matrix, everyone wants a Neo, but only few dare to be Morpheus.
— James Wilson, Cry Like a Man: Fighting for Freedom from Emotional Incarceration
Much love,
- Jon ♾️
Liked the perspective you have here. Protect yourself from falling into the pit of pessimism and cynicism while also not going full-on toxic positivity. I personally find myself just ignoring all news because it never seems to benefit me in any way to read it or listen to it. If it's important, I'll eventually hear about it. I suppose that makes me ill-informed at times, but I prefer to focus on what I can control for the sake of my own mental health. I agree we're resilient and not doomed! Good piece, I'll look out for more of your writing.
Nice essay, and perspective Jon. I’m relatively new to Substack and still only finding my way around. I’ve read a couple of your newsletters now and I’m impressed so planning to read your complete collection. Keep up the good work.