Tag: news

Social Media Shapes Our News Realities

Parallel Universes
~ Linda Wright

Once upon a time, a very long time ago, there were only three broadcast networks on television and those three networks reported mostly the same news, altering only the order of the stories on any day. I know this because when I was in high school a friend and I decided to do a social studies project. One of us listened to the news each evening on ABC and the other listened to NBC or CBS. Each of us made notes on the items reported and when the news programs ended we talked on the phone and compared our lists. There were occasionally minor differences in the slant given to each piece, but mostly it was the same news given in a different order.


Now we seem to have a multiverse of choices for news, not just on television and radio, but via streaming on the Internet and social media. Most of my friends listen to the same sources for their news. Their social media sends them only the news they want to hear. They all have similar views on politics and believe they know what is true. Today as I was driving and listening to music on the radio I heard news that turned my sense of reality upside down. Perhaps there really is an alternate reality right here on this planet.

Day 16 (of 31 days of free writing)

Less Media, More Peace

~ Linda Wright

We don’t own a television or a large screen monitor. I never listen to the weather or news on the Internet and I’ve completely given up using my phone to report even the current outdoor temperature. I listen to the radio only in bits and snatches when I happen to be alone in the car. I occasionally look at a newspaper, most often to see who might be listed on the obituary page. Despite my best efforts someone will tell me what weather is expected in the next few days or the latest political news. People seem to be obsessed with the weather and politics. I find it somewhat baffling, since the predictions for both seem unreliable.

Day 4 (of 31 to days of free writing)