Unrelenting tyranny of reality TV:
The networks don’t script the shows. Instead, it is “sources who have gone direct.” Look at our president, who is playing the media circus so well with his daily missives. Vox editor Ezra Klein recently wrote that “in the hypercompetitive enclaves of cable news and social media, where only the most attention-grabbing, conflict-rich content thrives.” He is spot on, and look around you, there are others who are using this to good effect.
From Kanye West to Elon Musk to even presidential reality show spin-off, The Omarosa Show — they are dominating the front pages and monopolizes the airwaves. What Elon Musk says on Twitter determines tomorrow’s headlines, and the amount of time television devotes to other business news.
This is why about 4 years ago, I stopped following current events. I read long-form editorials of things that happened 6 months ago. Retrospectives that have all of the facts right because “breaking news” is no longer happening. I left social media and removed all news from my RSS that wasn’t tech news.
I’m less informed than ever of what happened today or last week but the reality TV of ‘news’ is not even in my wheel house. It means following SNL clips is difficult but that’s the only thing I’m lacking..maybe that and water-cooler time but everyone I work with knows I won’t know who won the superbowl or what happened last night on Fear Factor.
Going away for 2 weeks on a motorcycle trip in the woods is just the same as sitting at my desk from a perspective of what’s going on in the world around me. Because news is unimportant now. it’s just realityTV.