‘Smooth brain, just vibes’: what is life like for those who refuse the news?

Fewer Australians are following the headlines - but there's a fine line between switching off and staying connected to the world

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It was during the second Sydney lockdown, in 2021, that Cass decided to unplug.

I was finding myself really anxious about the state of the world. And when I looked at the news, I was like, there's actually nothing I can do as an individual to change anything that's going on," she tells Guardian Australia. I just thought, I need to step away from the information overload of all the negativity. It's too much."