on Relevance

As more citizens begin to get that nagging feeling that things are not so rosy, that perhaps there are some pressing issues about which they should be informed, that creeping and natural curiousity of "Whatever happened about Tom DeLay" or "What's the deal with this 'Downing Street Memo' I hear the guys at the office talking about?", they are going to want some answers. And our great and lofty Mainstream Media seems to have forgotten the very reason they exist in the first place: because of the public's desire to know. The audience does not exist at the whim of the players, but quite the opposite. And I believe that the public, in general, wants to know more than "the latest on that missing girl in Aruba" or "what's next for the runway bride?" or "you'll never guess how Tom Cruise is professing his love this week! We've got it, after the break!"

I for one see an interesting side effect occuring. The media (TV media especially), like Dr. Frankenstein, is largely falling victim to its own creation. By breaking everything up into bite sized chunks & playing on the short attention span of its viewers, it has created an audience that is always looking for the next thing. However, this effect seriously undermines the media's attempt to keep singular stories in the news. 3 weeks after her disappearance, the girl in Aruba is still Fox News' top story.

Do they not see the contradiction here? The short attention span theater they have created is poorly suited for such drawn out episodes. In short, their attempts to distract the population by overloading them with information has only succeeded in producing their biggest fear: an audience that demands more information.

And they will get it.

When the major players of TV, Radio, & Print are endlessly rehashing the same 6 largely inconsequential stories, the peoples' thirst for knowledge, be it innate or created, will drive them to the only other viable outlet: the internet. Which, luckily, not only caters to the attention span challenged, but also renders the chances that the news you are presented with is true, or at least justifiable.

After all, verification is only a mouseclick away.