The Philip DeFranco Show - "Quitting The News For Now"

Starting point is 00:00:00 The Joe Rogan Tucker Carlson news bubble extremism situation and what's really going on there? Wanting to just give up and quit the news and who the AI boom's going to absolutely decimate over the next five years. We're talking about all of that on your special Friday, Philip DeFranco Show, aka From the Bastards, where y'all take control. Where y'all send in questions and I do my Philip DeFranco show thing and I turn it into a show for you. And today we start with Aiden who said, you know, he's concerned about rising political extremism on both left and right. And he asked this important question. How do you recommend for people from either lane separate themselves from such extreme beliefs? A great and unfortunately timely question, and where I'll start here is at the individual level.

Starting point is 00:00:35 Because the way that experts say that people can distance themselves in political extremism is by breaking out of their media bubbles and following a variety of sources to hear different perspectives. Right, and a big thing with this is a few research study from this summer, they found that Democrats and independents who lean Democrat are much more likely than Republicans and GOP leaners to both use and trust a number of major news sources. Right. And so those who lean damn they consume and trust things like ABC, CBS, NBC, and CNN, as well as legacy newspapers like The New York Times and public broadcasters like NPR. Whereas those who lean Republican, they're more likely to distrust those than trust them. And instead, they found that they rely on a much more concentrated number of

Starting point is 00:01:08 sources, including Fox News, the Joe Rogan experience, and the Tucker Carlson Network. And then connected to that, Democrats consume a much wider variety of media sources at much more even rates, whereas Republicans, they disproportionately rely on Fox. Nearly six and ten Republican leaners, they said they regularly got news from the network. And that was double the share of those who said they consumed any other news source that Pugh asked about. Though I will say there was some overlap. One in five Republicans said they regularly get news from CNN, and a similar share of Democrats said they consume news from Fox on a regular basis.

Starting point is 00:01:33 And so with that in mind, you have experts saying that breaking out of media bubbles and diversifying sources is even more important now that social media has become such a major source of news for both parties. Read surveys show that nearly half of all adults get news from social media, and that's evenly split with Republicans and Democrats. And because social media sites are algorithmically driven, it gets even easier for people to get sucked into partisan echo chambers. Also, and this is easier said than done, with politically polarized misinformation, exacerbating political extremism on both sides, experts argue that media literacy is needed.

Starting point is 00:01:58 So even starting there, the left and right, do not see eye to eye. Right, 81% of Democrats agree that media literacy is important, whereas only 66% of Republicans say it is. And that, as research actually shows, that Republicans need increased media literacy more than Democrats. And with all this, numerous studies have found that Republicans are more likely than Democrats to both believe and spread political misinformation. Right, and each specific study is interesting. There was a 2024 study that found that Republicans, but not Democrats, but not Democrats, Not Democrats were more likely to respond to instances of heightened political polarization like elections by spreading false information, even when they knew that the content was likely fake. Also, the media literacy disparity among Republicans appears to be top-down.

Starting point is 00:02:32 Research has shown that Republican politicians are much more likely to share false or misleading information on social media and other public forums. And so a big part of this is, you know, it's just not going to get better until politicians actually take responsibility to fight extremism and polarization and misinformation. And again, easier said than done, moderating political rhetoric, it's an easy way for public officials is to reduce the polarization. take down the heat. And a big part of this is realizing that actually a lot of people have things in common. And a big thing with that is that research actually shows that Americans are more polarized emotionally than ideologically, meaning that, you know, they dislike members of the opposite political party more than they disagree on actual matters of policy. Because while it feels like everyone has just gone crazy, studies show that Americans believe that the far left and far right of the two parties, they're much larger than they actually are.

Starting point is 00:03:13 And another big thing with this is that failure to call out bad actors, it only increases polarization by normalizing political violence. And then all of that, it brings us to, we need structural reform. I mean, a big one would be ending partisan gerrymandering, like implementing independent redistricting commissions in all states. And while I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon, you know, it's important to know that gerrymandering, it creates districts that are safe for each political party, though mostly Republicans. And so all of a sudden, you have these seats that are less competitive and competition's good because it forces political candidates to appeal to a broader base of voters in order to win. And so without that competition, candidates are more likely to cater to extreme factions of the party. And it's also why you have experts saying that implementing election systems like open primaries and ranked choice voting, it would decrease polarization. You know, all of that research, it brings us back to a big core thing.

Starting point is 00:03:55 Getting people out of their bubble, exposing people, exposing yourself to diversity. And that can be a diversity of people in your real life, people from different backgrounds, a diversity as far as what you're consuming. And also, I think a big thing is diving deeper on certain things. I think there's a real big problem on social media where, you know, people are constantly farming attention, clips are getting posted out of context, or sometimes you get the full clip with the full context, but the headline or the caption completely misrepresents it. And I mean, I think a fantastic example of that we recently talked about was Miss Rachel. The way certain people and certain groups try to portray her as this giant anti-Semite because she said that kids in Gaza deserve not to die. You know, all of this, it's easier said than done. But then we're going to dive into even more

Starting point is 00:04:35 in a minute, but first let me say, you know, are you still doing the run around the airport begging for a SIM card thing? Like, it's 2009. Because you may not know this, but there's no need to play Lost Tourist anymore. With Saly, today's sponsor, you land abroad already connected, no scams, no confusion, no sad little kiosk with tech from the Cold War. You just download an e-Sim straight to your phone before you leave, no lines, no paperwork, no stress. And Saly's got mobile data in 150-plus countries, and switching plans, it's basically one tap. You don't even have to remove your regular SIM, your phone keeps both active. And yes, it's way cheaper than the surprise roaming fees that your carrier hits you with,

Starting point is 00:05:06 like the one where you open your bill and suddenly you owe the GDP of a small village. The coverage is fast, stable, and you can choose plans that fit your trip. Day passes, weekly, monthly, whatever level of chaos you're traveling with. Plus, set up takes 60 seconds. You know, I've had sandwiches that took longer. You know, don't let your phone carrier rob you on vacation. So if you're traveling sooner, honestly, ever again, stop doing it the medieval way. Just scan the QR code and use code fill for 15% off your first plan.

Starting point is 00:05:29 Yeah, just use that QR code or download the saley app. But main thing, be sure to use code fill for 15% off. But then back to the news, we had Jessica, who's a long-time PDS viewer from the olden days, given the show some love, but also sharing a feeling that I think that a lot of people can relate to. Love your show. Sorry, I haven't been watching. recently, I just had to take myself out of watching anything political anymore because it seemed like every day was something catching on fire.

Starting point is 00:05:58 So yeah, never feel bad. News fatigue, it is getting worse. Globally, I mean, news fatigue has reached a record high this year. Right, literally, according to this year's annual survey by the Reuters Institute for the study of journalism, 40% of people who responded across nearly 50 countries said that sometimes are often, they avoid the news. That is way, way up from just 29% in 2017. And in the US, news avoidance was even slightly higher at 42%.

Starting point is 00:06:19 And as far as why, 40% said, you know, the news, it was negatively affecting their move. Right, and that was the top response overall. You also had 31% saying they were worn out by the amount of news, 30% saying that there's just too much coverage of war or conflict, and 29% saying there's just too much politics in the news. And then on that note, there was a December survey that found that Americans in particular are tuning out political news. Nearly two-thirds of respondents said they've recently felt the need to limit the amount of political news that they consumed. While it was close, you know, there were differences about 7 and 10 Democratic said that they're stepping back from political news while around six and ten Republicans and

Starting point is 00:06:49 independents said the same. And you know, yeah, part of this is due to the Trump administration, but also it's not limited to that. But it's also connected to how the news landscape has changed. But it used to be limited to TV, radio, and newspapers. There were certain blocks of time. Then even that expanded, but then the internet, it exploded from there. With social media, which is now the top source of news for Americans, I mean, these things are built to keep you hook, right? Even things that seem so simple like scroll features that are on your phone, right? you pull down all of a sudden, an explosion of just never-ending content and news.

Starting point is 00:07:19 And these things that are built to keep you a hook, they also lead to burnout. And then of course, the content of the news can make things worse. Well, you know, there's a baseline of, okay, well, it makes sense that someone wouldn't cover a road working as intended versus if there was a crash or a big pothole on it.

Starting point is 00:07:33 But there are also people in institutions, and you see it when it happens, I take it to a completely different level. And then making all of that even worse, people are more likely to avoid news if they believe it's biased, inaccurate, and lacks value. And I mean, how often are you on social media seeing a news thing and you're like, wait, is that true?

Starting point is 00:07:46 I mean, for me personally, Twitter used to be a fantastic source and now it's just a fucking insane cesspool where people are saying anything to get attention. So you end up seeing a lack of trust there, but also like in an October poll from Gallup, trust in just 28% of media has hit a record low this year. Just 28% of respondents said they had a great deal or a fair amount of trust in newspapers, television, and radio. And understand some people that go out there and go like, oh, you're so soft. This is, this is a genuine problem. This has been documented to cause mental exhaustion, burnout, evoke prolonged stress responses. And he can even manifest in ways like,

Starting point is 00:08:14 Like all of a sudden you'll have trouble concentrating, low energy or motivation, memory problems, irritability, so many other things. I mean, even that was just the mental stress can also have physical impacts like headaches, muscle tension, or pain, stomach problems, and sleep issues. I mean, exposure to news coverage of mass trauma events, it can even cause secondary PTSD and people who didn't experience the actual events. But then also with that I'll say, well, news fatigue can be very harmful, experts warn that avoiding the news and disengaging from current events, it can create far-reaching negative political impacts. Lower voter turnout, political discussion, less contact with representatives, disengagement from local matters. There's then also less accountability for political leaders when the public's disengaged from the news, right scandals, corruption, incompetence, bad policy decisions, they receive less scrutiny. And when you have lower civic engagement, you're more likely to have bad leaders staying in office.

Starting point is 00:08:59 And then also connected to news avoidance, it actually contributes to the spread of misinformation. Because when people tune out or avoid the news, they'll end up filling those gaps with less reliable sources that may just be lying or be oversimplified and lack nuance. It's part of the reason that Trump and his administration intentionally flood the zone to overwhelm people with news and information, so they disengage. And so with all that said, I think one of the best options is to create hard boundaries. Or things like setting specific amounts of time or scheduled windows of time to read the news or listen to it or watch this show. Or like, well, I put out clips of this show all over social media. The bigger goal there is for people to come to the full Philip DeFranco show, whether it's on YouTube, Spotify, Apple, Pod, podcast, wherever. Just get that daily dose of poison or the vaccination against stupid.

Starting point is 00:09:38 And so then with that, limiting push notifications on your, phone, maybe even setting specific phone-free times. And then also at that time that you're away from the constant doom scroll, maybe do something positive, something productive for you and yours, or maybe, you know, just something fun. I think a lot of people, especially over the last 10 years, have forgotten how to have fun. But also, maybe it's fun for some people, but maybe it's just more of one of the positive things. You can get involved locally, engage in civic matters or find other ways to bring about real change. But I do think something even self-serving, whether it's fun, maybe practice calming techniques like mindfulness, meditation, yoga, deep breathing. just some sort of self-care. But yeah, know that I understand the struggle. But then, finally, today we had Keeley asking this question. Are you your family's tech support when it comes to older members of your family? How do you deal with it? See, I'm now getting to the age where I'm concerned that I'm going to be the person that needs tech

Starting point is 00:10:28 support. Though honestly, also this AI boom that we're seeing, I think it's causing a lot of people having to freak out or learn new things. Right, I mean, a Gallup survey from this summer found that the number of U.S. employees who said they've used AI at least a few times over the last year, it's nearly doubled since 2023, jumping from 21% to 40%. And nearly one and five workers said they used AI at least a few times a week, also nearly double the 11% who said they utilize AI frequently in their work two years ago.

Starting point is 00:10:52 And actually, overall, 44% of respondents said that their employers have begun integrating AI into workflows, which is a notable increase from 33% just a year earlier. And you know, the increasing use to AI in the workplace, it's driven up demand for workers who know how to use those tools. In fact, a recent analysis by the Brookings Institution found that the number of job listings that ask for AI skills have skyrocketed. And I mean, it's not just the tech industry. Data shows that more than half of job postings requesting AI skills in 2024 were outside of IT

Starting point is 00:11:17 and computer science. Right, marketing and sales specifically were among the top 10 occupations requiring AI expertise. And so AI has created this new generational gap in the workforce, raising concerns for older workers. For nearly three quarters of the workers who use AI in their jobs, they were under the age of 50. Right, and data shows that two-thirds of baby boomers, they've never used AI at work. And you know, a big part of that is for older folks, they have limited digital literacy, which could actually be a pretty minor problem except many employers are falling short when it comes to providing adequate training to work with AI tools. And so one, you know, you have younger people who are using these kind of tools on their own, figuring things out, working with them.

Starting point is 00:11:49 But also studies indicate that when companies do invest in training, they're more focusing on younger employees who are perceived as more adaptable. And actually, workers over 50s say they receive even less training on the job, right? Just one and 10 older adults say they've taken AI training at work, despite nearly half of all respondents saying they'd be interested in doing so. And so with all of that, plus even more, you have experts worrying that this generational AI skill gap, it's going to push older workers out of the labor force. And, you know, these older folk worried that AI is going to replace them, it's not unfounded. Goldman Sachs Research, they've estimated that AI could replace the equivalent of 300 million full-time jobs globally and display 6 to 7% of the U.S. workforce. So with that, it's also been predicted that AI could end up creating net jobs.

Starting point is 00:12:28 You've got the World Economic Forum forecasting it, driven in part by AI in automation. it's going to displace 92 million jobs by 2030, but generate 170 million new positions. But before you say, yay, in the here and now, 41% of global employers reportedly intend to reduce their workforces, AI automate specific tasks. And then with that, the people losing their jobs may not be the people also getting a new job. Where you have experts worrying that the new jobs created by the boom are not going to help the workers who will be displaced, especially the older ones. Though I will say, well, you know, I've been talking a lot about old people. It's not just them. Where the World Economic Forum, they predict that by 2030, nearly six in every 10 people in the global

Starting point is 00:13:01 workforce are going to need upskilling. But again, in the here and now, I do worry about the older folks. Because you're talking about a demographic that's most likely to be replaced, most in need of upskilling. But also, I mean, we're living at a time where people are working longer because of the increased cost of just living. So, you know, while understandably a lot of people are critical of AI and a number of avenues, I will say ignore AI at your own risk. But that my friends, is the end of your special Friday, Philip DeFranco show. If you liked it, let me know by hitting that like button. You know, if you want to dive into even more news, I've got that brand new podcast crashing out with myself and Alex Perlman. That was a wild ride this week. And or you can watch

Starting point is 00:13:38 last night's Philip DeFranco show that you may have missed or any of the other four I posted this week. Thank you for watching. I love yo faces and I'll see you right back here on Monday.

The Philip DeFranco Show - "Quitting The News For Now"

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.