EsperHugh

Why are you conflating being informed or following one particular event with being obsessed with the news? If Covid restrictions are so malleable in your city then you should find avenues that keep you updated, but once it's over you should also quit with the updates. Knowing what happens in Ukraine every single minute is useless. If you see all those hints around you about a conflict you are unaware of, why can't you just ask around or at most read a recap article or two? Why would this event entail being glued to your screen 24/7? Just like with other people in this discussion it feels as though exceptional events somehow justify the constant consumption of the news.

> That won't work at all these days, I'm afraid

I'm afraid I don't follow your point. Saying that something "won't work at all these days" means that there are meaningful, and I stress: meaningful, aspects of our life that totally break down in the absence of said thing. An occasional few seconds of awkwardness (which is a totally fine emotion to feel) regarding some celeb drama is, in all honesty, insignificant. You didn't talk about being fired or being shunned, being discriminated or being laughed at; you presented a very very bland example equivalent to admitting to your colleagues that you didn't notice a new coffee machine was installed. Maybe you suffer from a mental condition that amplifies these emotions so much that you can't stand that occasional awkwardness, but I don't see how that justifies defending being addicted to the news cycle.

>github is not a social website

you may not like it, but Github has always been a social website, and now more than ever, just like LinkedIn.

My psychologist suggested I partake in 1 act of kindness every day, doesn't matter if in favor of a loved one or a stranger. This was to help me deal with some mental problems I had. Following this advice in multiple occasions I actively helped people on the streets, be it by helping them put the groceries in their cars or by taking something that fell off their pockets. I would say this helped me immensely, would you find it super sketchy?