Why slower news is so appealing in the post-coronavirus world

The appetite for lighter, evergreen and more human-led stories seems to have grown among Voices readers, writes Kuba Shand-Baptiste

(PA)

Almost needless to say, living in the post-covid world has not been easy.  And, understandably, consuming endless content about our ever-changing version of normality has been a challenge in itself. 

It makes sense then, that as people tire of keeping a watchful eye on the doomsday clock, the appetite for lighter,  evergreen and more human-led stories seems to have grown among Voices readers. Though the appetite for politics certainly hasn’t waned (thanks in part to the constant flow of issues within Boris Johnson’s government) there has been a great deal of interest in comment that responds to the stories that don’t serve as bleak reminders of whatever’s yet to come. 

One of the pieces that best captured that sense of coronavirus malaise this week was Konnie Huq’s Voices article on the positives and pitfalls of switching off from the daily news agenda. A situation she found herself in unexpectedly after an unplanned break from technology during a trip to Devon. We can all relate to the sense of liberation that comes with limiting our reliance on technology, or vowing to reduce the amount of time we spend consuming and mulling over distressing stories. Which is perhaps why it seems there’s been even more of a hunger for slower and lighter stories about personal experiences and pop culture lately.