OK, so I'm creating this blog for a class, but that doesn't mean it can't have real substance and humour and be relevant, does it? Probably not. Anyway, so what's it all about? Well, it's basically my outlet for periodic rants (and the occasional insightful commentary) on the state of the world as I see it, in particular on the way it's presented to us by the countless (er, uh, seven) voices of the mass media. In doing so I hope to also bring attention to the lesser-heard voices of the indy media world whose reporting has so much more integrity and depth than what we're fed by the people who sell you your news like just another product.
But really, what is the product? Is it really the news? Are we consumers of information? Do these companies make their money from the 50 cents we give them for a newspaper? And what about network tv? Isn't it free? Well, all of those commercials you see when you watch the latest episode of Prison Break or whatever other crap Fox or NBC or whoever are paid for by advertisers (and I don't just mean the commericals they show during breaks).
And if the advertisers are paying them, then that must mean that the advertisers are paying for some sort of product. And what could that product be but the viewers, listeners and readers? What this means is that people are no longer people, not even consumers - no, we're the product being bought and sold. Our value has been reduced to what we're willing to spend, and so the mainstream media's focus is on those with more money to spend. (For more on this, see CNBC, CNNMoney, or the link to Business on cbcnews.com, foxnews.com, or msnbc.com) (For proof of their anti-capitalist, leftwing bias, take a look at CNNLabour, NBCEnvironment and ABCEquality.)
OK, so I made those last ones up.
Anyway, to sum up, I know that the idea of audience as a product to be captured and then sold to the highest bidder is nothing original or profound - but it's still worth repeating and discussing, which is the point of this blog. And while doing so I'm going to be talking about, commenting on, referring to, praising and insulting anything I feel like.
But really, what is the product? Is it really the news? Are we consumers of information? Do these companies make their money from the 50 cents we give them for a newspaper? And what about network tv? Isn't it free? Well, all of those commercials you see when you watch the latest episode of Prison Break or whatever other crap Fox or NBC or whoever are paid for by advertisers (and I don't just mean the commericals they show during breaks).
And if the advertisers are paying them, then that must mean that the advertisers are paying for some sort of product. And what could that product be but the viewers, listeners and readers? What this means is that people are no longer people, not even consumers - no, we're the product being bought and sold. Our value has been reduced to what we're willing to spend, and so the mainstream media's focus is on those with more money to spend. (For more on this, see CNBC, CNNMoney, or the link to Business on cbcnews.com, foxnews.com, or msnbc.com) (For proof of their anti-capitalist, leftwing bias, take a look at CNNLabour, NBCEnvironment and ABCEquality.)
OK, so I made those last ones up.
Anyway, to sum up, I know that the idea of audience as a product to be captured and then sold to the highest bidder is nothing original or profound - but it's still worth repeating and discussing, which is the point of this blog. And while doing so I'm going to be talking about, commenting on, referring to, praising and insulting anything I feel like.
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