Modern Media really have manipulation down to a fine science. 
From selling us the latest widgets, to fake news and frustrations generated by social media trolls, our emotions are taken out for a joyride every time we open up a feed or a magazine.
Feeling worn out by all of the drama?
The solution is easier than you might think.
Pushing Buttons
We only have to go as far as the nearest political “news” story posting to experience the anger that each viewpoint carries towards all opposing opinions. Energetic and definitive but with the point that opposing views are always horribly wrong.
Hyperbole instead of thoughtful arguments; our way or the highway.
Pretty exhausting too, right?
We are all familiar with the sales pitch about the sale ending today, when we never heard about it before. The push is to use your fear that you might miss out to motivate you to buy.
The ones that really bug me are the soulful pleas for help for animals and children. These are admirable groups to seek to help but using horrific images to disguise the sales pitch creates a different message. By eliciting sadness, the marketers leverage an emotional response in the viewers designed specifically to manipulate. Good causes all but the marketing methods are suspect.
Even our positive emotions are used to sell. Most every pharmaceutical commercial on the market present heartwarming images while the narrator cheerfully lists a far less cheerful assortment of harmful side effects of the drug being advertised. The commercials always end showing happy smiling people are who represent people who purchase and consume this medication.
Realistic? Not hardly.
Effective advertising? Absolutely.
The Price of Drama
As I have mentioned before, all of this toying with our feelings by our different media forms has a direct stressful effect on our bodies. Over the short-term, we can handle the stress. Over the long-term however, our bodies don’t manage things quite so well.
Stress generates the release of a whole cocktail of hormones in our bodies. These chemicals are what have kept our species alive over the centuries. The best response to a threat was often the ability to run away the quickest. Not heroic, perhaps, but effective.
Problems creep in when we are on a steady diet of these fun chemicals. We end up wearing out organs that were never designed to work like this for so long.
Eventually things breakdown.
Problem Children
Trolls will always be with us.
There are always those individuals who are happy to post material that irritates others. The purpose is only to stir the pot of emotions in the readers.
Your response is all they seek. Whether used to distract the reader from other topics or just to get a response just for the sake of getting a response, trolling is an emotional exercise.
As Oliver Markus Malloy writes,
“Claiming to be offended is a great way to elevate yourself at the expense of others: “Look at me! I’m a much better person than you! And I judge you! I condemn you! Shame! Shame! SHAME! I shame you for being a bad person. That means I’m a good person! Look at how really really offended I am! That means I’m a really really good person!”
According to the bible, Jesus said “let he who is without sin throw the first rock.” But a lot of people seem to think he said: “If you throw rocks at someone else, it proves that you’re without sin.”
Constructively Responding to Media
So, all of this emotional button pushing really creates… well… nothing. And the best way to deal with nothing, is nothing.
Get up and walk away. Really.
Recognize when someone is trying to generate an emotional response and just walk away. Don’t engage the troll, sales pitch, or controversial material. If someone is really trying to make a point, they will be bringing evidence. [pullquote2 style=”left” quote=”dark”]You are always more important than someone else’s argument..[/pullquote2]If their argument is one of you must agree because they say so (or they’ll be really, really mad at you), move on. You are always more important than someone else’s argument.
Just say “No”. Not “No, I hate everything about what you’re saying”, just a gentle “Thank you for sharing” kind of no. Your emotional and physical well-being are worth it.
[pullquote2 style=”right” quote=”dark”]You are always in control of how you respond to life.[/pullquote2]Create your own safe place where bully tactics do not work. Keep on scrolling, change the channel, laugh out loud, literally walk away – you are always in control of how you respond to life. Don’t take my word for it – try it and see what you think.
When people are doing their utmost to upset you, it’s probably best to just laugh at them.
― Wayne Gerard Trotman
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