Sean,
I totally agree with you when you say people view news in a skewed context just to fit their preferences contrary to the truth, more so today than ever before. Now just what do you mean when you say that “the news used to intrude reality on us”? Before the internet, people were only able to rely on a handful of publications and outlets which could easily have given biased or skewed interpretations of reality. Today, we have the option of cross referencing news with at least dozens of other sources for consistency. Are you suggesting that the spread of news was somehow better than today?
There’s always been propaganda. Back then, someone would be considered smart if they were reading half a dozen newspapers a day. Today, we read ‘stories’ from around the world through the Internet. Yet, all those stories are filtered through a context we like. Interestingly, I notice people have stories from a sphere of ‘good guys’ where they report on the ‘bad guys’ (where they also read the ‘bad guy stories’). Who the ‘good guys’ or ‘bad guys’ are varies. Most of the time, it is political parties or ideologies. In gaming, the ‘good guys’ would be anything gaming while the ‘bad guys’ would be anything non-gaming. Computer geeks have the ‘good guys’ be their tech news while the ‘bad guys’ would be everyone else.
The difference I notice is that of arrogance. Everyone using the Internet feels they are smart and well informed. EVERYONE. This obviously cannot be as there are still stupid people around. You also cannot inform arrogant people because they think they know everything.
Before, there was a huge difference between watching TV and reading. People who were watching TV knew it wasn’t the ‘smart thing to do’, but it was more fun than reading.
Today, the Internet is a fusion of TV and reading. No one sees the Internet as a waste of time but as if they are ‘reading’ (getting smarter). Are you really getting smarter reloading your usual message forum or circle of blogs?
If you sat down with a pen and pencil and recorded how much time you spend on the Internet, how much time would that be? It was easier to gauge TV interest as shows were done in half-hour or hour segments.
In the past, I felt sorry for people who had to be constantly connected. People like doctors had little beepers that would go off when they were needed. I didn’t want to live like that. I didn’t want to have a beeper. Today, everyone is striving to be constantly connected. If you’re at college, you’ll notice that immediately after class people will turn on their cell phones and talk to someone. Girls do this a ton. I asked one girl, “What the hell is so important that you must immediately make a phone call after class? Is it so bad to walk down a hallway without talking to someone?” She gave a non-answer.
On one level, it is hilarious watching these addicts constantly get their soma Internet fix. On another level, it is very sad. If the Internet disappeared, I wonder how many people would go mad. The horrors! While they wait for class to start, they would actually have to talk to someone.
After the Boston bombings, they cut cell phone service to the area. People asked, “What if this happened to New York City? Can you imagine no cell phones in New York City?”
“Egad,” I replied sarcastically. “It would be like the 1980s. Oh, the stone age!”
Being connected is useful for emergencies. We know, however, most of the use is not for emergencies. The way how I see most people be connected is to stare at boxes at the grocery store yelling at their phone, “But I thought we had that in the pantry! No dear, I’m sorry. I’ll get you strawberries. Yes, dear. How are we on milk? Do I need to get more milk? OK. What about the seasoning for Thursday’s dinner?” I want to yell at these people. How did these people manage to do grocery shopping without cell phones? They could write a list. Oh, horrors!
I don’t understand why people want to be more connected. I want to be unconnected. I don’t want people to call me. I don’t want people to text me. Boring people always try to bring the more interesting person into their world.