I came across The Happy Broadcast by Mauro Gatti on Instagram and I think it's just such an amazing concept and platform for sharing positive news.
The aim of The Happy Broadcast is to share 'anxiety free news'. The outcome is bright, positive and translates wonderfully through Gatti's illustrations and posts. They cover everything, from positive environmental changes, to covid, to talking about mental health. In general, it's a really pleasing thing to see on your timeline.
Seeing the stories that Gatti shares reminds me of a quote from my earlier research: 'As long as bad things are happening in the world then there will always be enough incidents to fill the news". This way of thinking irritates me as The Happy Broadcast just goes to show that there is in fact positive things happening also! If only the traditional media that most people see on a daily basis worked harder to uplift their audiences and talk about these positive stories rather than fearmongering and instilling doom into viewers.
After the success of the Instagram page Gatti also published a book of the same name. This is a lovely little extension of the brand and opens up the concept to a much wider audience. I think everyone needs this in their life! Alternatively, I think that the idea would work much better on a rotation basis. Instead of just producing one publication, something monthly or even yearly (?) would be appropriate as it means that it can stay up to date and informative. With social media nowadays we can stay up to date every second, even newspapers are put out daily - so this constant need for publishing news means that a lot of negativity is published as it's churned out quicker. I think that the idea of 'slow-news' would be a lot better - a round up of the month or every two weeks would be an ideal rate of taking in the news.
One huge positive about the design aspect of The Happy Broadcast is that it's appropriate for every age. Their good is described as for all age ages which I really enjoy, as pre-teens to the elderly - news should be easily accessible for everyone. Also, it should almost encourage them to engage like The Happy Broadcast does. I know when I was younger I had absolutely no interest in reading a Guardian Article - but if I saw this, I would be a lot more interested.
The Happy Broadcast Manifesto:
"Sometimes the worlds seems so full of problems that we feel overwhelmed, or afraid, or alone. Negative news gives us the impression that there is no good left anywhere.
We might feel so unbelievably helpless watching terrible events unfold in the world around us and sometimes we run away from an issue that gives us anxiety.
But ignoring the bad news doesn't work for me. I don't want to be a victim of "unrealistic optimism". To soothe the anxiety, I try to find the good in the bad that happens. I want to look for solutions to a problem and focus on what I am able to do.
While not ignoring the bad news, I search and consume the stories of the people that work to make this world better. I share their stories and find them ways I can support them and make sure they do more.
That's wat The Happy Broadcast is. A place where we acknowledge the big challenges we're facing right now, but instead of getting overwhelmed, we celebrate and get inspired by the millions of people that have shown us that we can all have a positive impact.
Some people will tell you that there's no hope and that the world is about to end. My answer is that there will always be hope as long as there's action. We can't just sit and hope. We can't just witness what's wrong in the world and hope that someone else will fix it.
So I ask myself: How can I help? How can I be part of the solution? If this community has taught me anything so far, it's that we're not alone and that it only takes a little to get something big going. If everyone does something, we will be part of a positive change in the world.
Whether it is showcasing support to a cause, sharing positive stories or using social media to call for donations, help in a big or small way is what turns anxiety into a healthier and more positive reaction.
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