Escaping the Digital Rabbit Hole: How Leaders Can Stay Informed Without Losing Presence

I've been thinking about the intersection of a few threads lately. 

One comes from Jonathan Haidt, another from Oliver Burkeman (yes, I'm talking about Oliver Burkeman again!) and a third from my own observations about how we consume, or avoid, the news.

A few weeks ago, I heard Jonathan Haidt describe phones as “experience blockers.” The phrase stuck with me. They keep us from being present, noticing the world, connecting with people, and remembering that we inhabit a body, not just a brain tethered to a screen.

Then I saw Oliver Burkeman speak in London. He told the story of a former U.S. corporate executive who, after the 2016 election, quit the news entirely. Overwhelmed and disillusioned, he avoided headlines, turned off the radio, and even wore noise-canceling headphones in public to block political chatter. Some criticized his retreat as a luxury, but what he did with that silence was remarkable: he poured his energy into transforming a polluted piece of land into a thriving wetland.

Burkeman also described how, several years ago, he'd noticed fellow journalists had begun “living inside the news,” finding the digital sphere more real than their physical surroundings. As someone who worked in media, this resonates deeply. Sometimes I still feel that way, especially as an American living abroad.

What Burkeman said next really landed with me: that it's now considered “escapist” to be more engaged with your physical world than with the digital news cycle. That connects directly with Haidt's idea of phones as “experience blockers.” I'm beginning to believe our constant dive into the digital rabbit hole isn't just a side effect; it's part of the problem.

At the same time, I've noticed that thoughtful, high-achieving friends of mine are stepping back from news and social media. Some have opted out of digital news almost entirely. Many have deleted Instagram. I logged out of personal Instagram earlier this year for most of Lent, and my nervous system thanked me. I missed friends' joyful updates, but not the relentless stream of political and disturbing content.

I'm not suggesting we ignore reality or difficult topics. I care deeply about politics and the news. I worked at The New York Times for eight years, eventually as Managing Director for EMEA. I value journalism and believe in being informed. But I also believe we need to notice how we're engaging with news, and whether it helps us move forward as humans and as a society.

For me, the goal now is to engage in ways that foster connection and progress, not exhaustion or despair. As I move through the rest of the year, I'm thinking a lot about how to stay attuned to what matters while protecting my capacity to think clearly and be present in my own life. I'm experimenting with how can I consciously “pull” news when I am able to receive and engage with it, rather than simply accept that I must be “pushed” an overwhelming amount of information that just exhausts me.

How about you? Have you changed how you engage with news, politics, or social media? I'd love to hear what's shifting for you.