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Euchale

Crazy German Guy
Hi all,

this is not going to be a traditional rant but more of a general discussion. I just like to hear your opinions on it.
My coworkes and me talked about how the internet has changed the way we consume media because we are bombarded by unlimited amounts of information because you´ve got the "whole" internet.
I thought about this and I think it is not true. I mainly stay on a handful of selected sites and everything that is not posted there simply does "not exist". The amount of information I get is directly influenced by me. I pre-select sites that have similar opinions like I have and stay away from sites that have a different opinion.
Same goes for news. I am always surprised when I visit /pol/ to see news reports from different countries/groups and hear about things that I didn´t know happening.
A recent example would be, that around 50-100 refugees took over a school in Berlin because they wanted to force the German government to either give them a visa, or tell them that they are not allowed to stay.
In my news I didn´t hear a thing and this situation went on for over 5 days.

So how much do you guys select what you watch and follow? Is this the only way to stay sane?
 
It's mostly click bate to generate ad revenue. Sensationalism always existed, it just got a whole lot faster and there is moar of it. Viral information, misinformation, etc. News has always been like this to some extent, though, shock titles to generate viewership thus generating more advertising revenue. Overall I'd say we receive more information then we would have in the days of paper -> radio -> tv, but we probably retain about the same amount, and really only remember the big events and such.
 
Crake said:
...shock titles to generate viewership thus generating more advertising revenue.
Click to expand...


I thought of Upworthy when I read this. I dig their reporting, but damn, those headlines annoy me to no end.

And I absolutely filter the content I consume. I have major gripes with US News services and their lack of objectivity, especially since what they report is under the guise of full truths. What garbage. Much of it is pursuant to some agenda or another, and cannot offend this advertiser or that, so I often compare "facts" with international sources (even if I agree with their agenda - see above, Upworthy). The misleadings can be very subtle, too, with word choice, phrasing, and/or omitted details.

Because of this, I believe it's important to choose trustworthy sources. They may not cover every current event to date, but it should be possible to have a collection of sources to cover all the bases you desire. Give me world/us news, business, and entertainment, but keep fashion and culinary news...

On one hand, I visit the sites that I enjoy, much like how I would have read magazines, newspapers, books, and watched shows that I liked. On the other, I am exposed to unexpected bits of information through forums like this, Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, etc. - sites where people can offer up topics that I previously may not have subscribed to. But it's still my choice to visit these sites.

If anything, misinformation is much easier to find. Some of those articles on my Facebook News Feed... people can be idiots. I've even had to point out that the source was an Onion articles after a ton of heated, reactionary comments; I once got into an argument with someone who was citing a Wikipedia page, and I went and changed the Wiki page (legitimately).

So, I agree with you. The amount and type of information is directly influenced by me.
 
People are crazy, but there used to be accountability in the media.
Agendas too, but accountability was more important for the most part.

Welll... Now the job of "fact checker" sounds like a joke, or something grandpa made up so he could yell at the TV.

I like getting my news from outside the US because I know the agenda and I also know how to check where the opinion starts and where the facts end. The internet information is all worthless unless a source is listed and can be confirmed by another source. Its funny how the phrase "pic or it didn't happen" never applies to news stories.
 
To quote an Assassin's motto: Nothing is true. Everything is permitted. It applies. The second part will apply pretty soon the way things are going. Just glad I stock up on bug out gear and ammo when I can.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
 
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