Influence of The Media

Even though new media has the capacity to connect people across the globe and spread information almost instantaneously, I find it keeps me rather insulated from outside events.  Thanks to innovations like Netflix and Spotify, I am often blissfully unaware of what is happening in the world around me.  I watch TV through streaming, without commercials or newscasts. Ditto for music. I rarely listen to broadcast radio in my car and never in the house. Instead, for $10 a month I enjoy unlimited, commercial free music through my Smart Phone or iPad. I have been living in this insulated commercial-free bubble for about 18 months and it wasn’t until recently I realized that I really had no idea what was going on in the world.  Or even in my own backyard. One Tuesday evening in early August, a hurricane blew through my town located in the western Foothills of Maine (we rarely get hurricanes).  I had no idea. I thought it was just a really bad rain storm.  It wasn’t until later in the evening when I popped onto Facebook that I saw all the posts about people taking to their basements and losing power.  Geesh, I thought. I don’t even have any bottled water in the house, in case of an emergency.  The situation made me realize how removed I am from current events.

I wasn’t always so disengaged from what was happening in the world.  As a former social studies teacher, I know the importance of being an informed citizen.  I used to read the local online newspapers and occasionally watch a local or national newscast the day after it was broadcast, on the Internet.  But there was always so much information available.  One article would link to another article and another and so on…until I had frittered away my morning reading news that was usually pretty depressing, not to mention bias.  I think my hermit-like aversion to both local and national news started slowly, replacing the New York Times with Martha Stewart Living on Hulu and CBS Nightly news with Youtube channels of How to Remove Wallpaper.  I am slightly addicted to Pinterest and all the ways to use a mason jar.  I use Facebook to stay connected with my family and friends and to cyber-stalk my teenagers.  LinkedIn is useful only when I am feeling disgruntled at work and want to look for a new job. Essentially, I am selfish social media consumer.  I only use it if it benefits me directly.

Is this positive or negative?  New Media allows me to be much more selective about the content I consume.  Obviously, I’m generally happier looking for dessert recipes on Pinterest than reading about fighting in the Middle East.  Add to this the fact that there is so much content available all the time – and  it starts to feels like information fatigue.  I know I should care, but I just don’t have the energy right now.  I’m going to check out Halloween craft ideas on Pinterest instead.