The New Media (Twitter, podcasts, etc...) and the future of how we get the news

• The New Media (Twitter, podcasts, etc...) and the future of how we get the news
• Michael Vick
• The constructs of family (continued)
• The Dead Weather - Horehound
• The Fiery Furnaces - I'm Going Away
• The Fiery Furnaces in general...
• Universal Health Care

The world, it's a changing and changing quickly. Newspapers are folding nationwide at an almost intimidating rate. We have a ridiculous amount of dedicated news stations, all of which tend to sell style over substance when it comes to reporting. Then we have the Internet with it's streams and streams of information. It's really no wonder newspaper's can't compete, they aren't timely (only updated once a day?), we have to be home or at least in town to get them and frankly, it's kind of lame to have to turn the pages yourself, right? So now we have blogs and we have twitter, allowing 'journalists' to update anyone who cares to follow along with the play-by-play of any significant news event. It's all based around the now...getting everything out as quickly as possible, which leads us to question the research being put into the news. There is very little accountability in the now first reporting of the modern era.

Then we have the growth of the podcast. At first, I thought to myself - why would I listen to a podcast? I don't listen to talk radio, why would I download talk radio to listen to? Then I realized, I don't listen to talk radio because they don't talk about anything I want to listen to. With podcasts, I can listen to what I want, when I want. Driving with podcasts are a lot more engaging than music as well. Sure, with music, you can sing along and get into it, however...sometimes you just can't, or your exhausted from a long day at work and you just want to listen quietly to something that will stimulate your brain. That's what a podcast offers, it gives you something to think about while driving without forcing you to interact. I love podcasts now and often find myself with more than I have time to listen to in a given day.

This brings me to my next point - I think we can all agree that podcasts and blogs and twitter have officially changed the way we get our news and information, but is it a good thing? Is it good that we can focus our incoming information on the world around us to only what we like? Is it good that we choose to filter out all other facets of the world around us? Then again, haven't we been doing that for years anyways? Haven't the folks on the right been watching Fox News and pounding their Bibles while the left listens to NPR and scoff at the close-minded folks on the other side? We've always leaned towards the bias that agrees most with us, it validates our own opinions and makes us right...even if it just an opinion. Can you really be open-minded or intelligent if you shut out all other opinions? I mostly listen to sport talk, so the opinions are of little actual value in society, but I am trying to dig deeper into the current world and get more angles, but is it worth the trouble? The time? And how is this filter going to alter world views in the future? How are we going to get the news in the future?