Musing on Media
The news and articles have got me tied down. Sure, I love reading about what’s happening. And I’m a journalist; it’s necessary to stay informed. But I’ve realized that my eyes are much bigger than my stomach when it comes to this.
And it’s all because of Facebook.
I have all of my favorite (and necessary) publications in my news feed. So I’m bombarded by headlines, findings, and revelations that grab my attention.
I love the content. Though, I might love it too much. Every link produces more links to something else. I wouldn’t call it clickbait, but the system has me hooked. It is a never ending process of clicking and scrolling. The news feed itself, I’m convinced, is designed so that you have to see more content. It is difficult to full-stop on an article without seeing a small piece of another below it.
My poor computer. This process fills my browser with tabs. It eats my RAM. The machine’s performance is hindered.
It is all because I intend to read every single article I click. I want to stay informed, I want to learn. The problem is in the attempt to learn it all.
What I don’t read, I bookmark for later. This move comes with the pure intention to read it, but if I’m being honest, there is about a five percent chance that will actually happen. Why? Because the next day’s news cycle will fill up my time/browser/RAM in the exact same way. The news never stops.
Facebook, where my article-related joy and troubles come from, even has its own bookmarking system. I now use that to save links for later, with the same revisiting efficiency that I have for the other articles.
Despite my woes, I won’t cease to consume “print” media. It is where the most depth comes. Linking to more information is not a vile thing, it just takes up all of my time. From the latest in politics on the Washington Post, to what’s happening around me in the LAist, to the rise of esports on Kotaku, these are some of my favorite things to check out and I am better for having done so, despite my laptop’s suffering.
My caution with web articles shows one of the reasons why I love radio so much. The medium is fleeting. Not that it’s going away, more that you hear it when you hear it. And that’s it. Technology allows us now to rewind podcasts and NPR is more accessible than ever on your phone, but there isn’t the time or opportunity to wallow in the content. Radio progresses the news too quickly. You get an update on a topic and then it’s on to the next one.
Radio presents concise news and varied stories. Unless your news feed is diverse, you may not see the buffet of topics from just one particular news site. The same publications I mentioned earlier, for their specificity, don’t allow much flexibility in there presentation. You go to the Washington Post for politics and Kotaku for video games. With Radio you are offered both, often back to back.
It is entirely possible that my consumption begins with radio and ends online. I am teased and intrigued by a topic I heard and compelled to read more about it. The process takes effort, but the goal is to be informed. And with today’s media offering there is a bonus in being entertained.
