news
/nuz, nyuz/
[nooz, nyooz]
–noun (usually used with a singular verb)
1. a report of a recent event; intelligence; information
2. the presentation of a report on recent or new events in a newspaper or other periodical or on radio or television.
3. such reports taken collectively; information reported
"news." Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. 24 Nov. 2008. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/news>.
After a brief break to work on the rigors imposed by academia, this week I aim to see a growing trend in news, both in the reporting and in the reported. Thank you all for commenting, but I would ask that your tone stay civil and your posts logical.
Having grown up with a television set, any kid knows about the "News." Perhaps Mom and Dad watch it at 10pm or wake up to the early mornings, while others keep cable news channels on constantly. Walking down the street, there are newspapers to buy. With the Internet, a host of sites offer the lastest tidbits of information about anything and everything you didn't want to know.
And a trend is emerging. A trend that can easily be described as "news for sensory gratification."
The version 1.0 News was just that. News. For more info on News Version 1.0, read A History of News by Mitchell Stephens. For the most part, the world was oblivious to the minor details of each other's lives. For instance, if a moderate 5.0 earthquake hit a city in Japan in the 1700s killing several hundred people, most residents of the European would not hear about it...ever.
At the dawn of the 3rd millenium anno domini, our world is interconnected with satellite communications, allowing for the instantaneous transmission of images and audio straight into the homestead. Since there are so many events taking place worldwide, local news fits into a minor section of the newspaper or 2 hours of TV airtime dubbed "the Local News."
But what makes today's news "2.0"? The current version of the News has become a media outlet for stimulation rather than information. When one ponders why world events are viewed in favor over local news, one gets the impression that part of the reason is because local news, while having a DIRECT impact on local lives, is still boring. Meanwhile, the tropical or frigid or arid locales of news broadcasts coupled with strange ideas and actions from foreign people groups gives the attentive news watcher stimulation on par with movie-goers and video-gamers.
The Version 2.0 of the News is less and less about important information and more and more about stimulation. This can also be seen by the rise of entertainment news programs and pundit political shows. These types of news broadcasts frequently received better ratings than local news stations, simply because they are fun to watch.
While this trend may seem alarming, there is a benefit worth mentioning. As society hungers for more entertainment (see Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman), news could simply disappear and the world turn into a place of disconnected localities of entertainment. Yet, shows like "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report" have found a way to entertain while reporting certain news stories. The next step to make the Version 2.0 fully compatible with the essence of news is to produce local versions of the news presented in an entertaining way.
Regardless of the unstoppable force of the insatiable hunger for stimulation, Version 2.0 News still delivers news. What is the next step? Stay tuned for a word from our official sponsors.
/nuz, nyuz/
[nooz, nyooz]
–noun (usually used with a singular verb)
1. a report of a recent event; intelligence; information
2. the presentation of a report on recent or new events in a newspaper or other periodical or on radio or television.
3. such reports taken collectively; information reported
"news." Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. 24 Nov. 2008. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/news>.
After a brief break to work on the rigors imposed by academia, this week I aim to see a growing trend in news, both in the reporting and in the reported. Thank you all for commenting, but I would ask that your tone stay civil and your posts logical.
Having grown up with a television set, any kid knows about the "News." Perhaps Mom and Dad watch it at 10pm or wake up to the early mornings, while others keep cable news channels on constantly. Walking down the street, there are newspapers to buy. With the Internet, a host of sites offer the lastest tidbits of information about anything and everything you didn't want to know.
And a trend is emerging. A trend that can easily be described as "news for sensory gratification."
The version 1.0 News was just that. News. For more info on News Version 1.0, read A History of News by Mitchell Stephens. For the most part, the world was oblivious to the minor details of each other's lives. For instance, if a moderate 5.0 earthquake hit a city in Japan in the 1700s killing several hundred people, most residents of the European would not hear about it...ever.
At the dawn of the 3rd millenium anno domini, our world is interconnected with satellite communications, allowing for the instantaneous transmission of images and audio straight into the homestead. Since there are so many events taking place worldwide, local news fits into a minor section of the newspaper or 2 hours of TV airtime dubbed "the Local News."
But what makes today's news "2.0"? The current version of the News has become a media outlet for stimulation rather than information. When one ponders why world events are viewed in favor over local news, one gets the impression that part of the reason is because local news, while having a DIRECT impact on local lives, is still boring. Meanwhile, the tropical or frigid or arid locales of news broadcasts coupled with strange ideas and actions from foreign people groups gives the attentive news watcher stimulation on par with movie-goers and video-gamers.
The Version 2.0 of the News is less and less about important information and more and more about stimulation. This can also be seen by the rise of entertainment news programs and pundit political shows. These types of news broadcasts frequently received better ratings than local news stations, simply because they are fun to watch.
While this trend may seem alarming, there is a benefit worth mentioning. As society hungers for more entertainment (see Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman), news could simply disappear and the world turn into a place of disconnected localities of entertainment. Yet, shows like "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report" have found a way to entertain while reporting certain news stories. The next step to make the Version 2.0 fully compatible with the essence of news is to produce local versions of the news presented in an entertaining way.
Regardless of the unstoppable force of the insatiable hunger for stimulation, Version 2.0 News still delivers news. What is the next step? Stay tuned for a word from our official sponsors.
