news fatigue
/njuːz fəˈtiːɡ/
CommonThe mental exhaustion that comes from consuming too much news, especially bad news.
Not the same as apathy. People with news fatigue often care a lot. They are just worn down by the volume and relentlessness of it.
Real-world examples4 examples
| # | Example | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | having serious news fatigue. deleted the app, going on a walk | The person is stepping away from media consumption because it got too heavy. | x, 2024 |
| 02 | it's not that i don't care. it's news fatigue. i physically cannot read one more thing | The person cares about the issues but is too emotionally depleted to consume more. | reddit, 2023 |
| 03 | news fatigue is real this year. every week is a different disaster | The relentless pace of major events has made it hard to stay engaged. | x, 2024 |
| 04 | my parents have full news fatigue. they don't watch anything anymore | Older relatives who were once news consumers have completely checked out. | tiktok, 2024 |
Use it when
- Someone has stopped following the news because it is too overwhelming.
- A person feels burned out from constant bad news cycles.
- Describing the collective exhaustion after a long stretch of major news events.
- Explaining why someone is less informed than they used to be.
Do not use it when
- Someone is just lazy or uninterested in current events by default.
News fatigue vs doomscrolling
news fatigue
News fatigue is the result: you are exhausted and disengage.
VS
doomscrolling
Doomscrolling is the behavior: you keep consuming bad news even though it makes you feel worse.
Origin and context
Used in journalism and psychology circles before entering everyday conversation. Became widespread during the 2016-2020 period of high-volume political news.
- First seen
- 2010s
- Confidence
- medium
Cite this page
Use this stable URL to reference the entry.
https://slang.fyi/news-fatigueUpdated: 2026-08-29License: CC BY 4.0