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With an onslaught of distracting technology, these days there seems to be an alarming increase with the level of competition vying for just a modicum of our limited attention spans. From every facet of our lives, we are prodded and pulled at by people, places and things, all seeming desperate for our notice. This begs the questions: Are we racing to catch up or are we running from our potential as a cohesive and mindful global community? Is it possible that historians in our future will acquiesce to a perception of our culture that is laden with distorted truths of what really occurred during our time? With a perverse appeal, we are returning to the method of reporting the news, once known as "Yellow Journalism."
It is said that art often imitates life; however, if you logged on to Yahoo's front page today (as I did), the reverse may be true. The headlines read: Scientists warn California could be struck by winter ‘superstorm’!
It is said that art often imitates life; however, if you logged on to Yahoo's front page today (as I did), the reverse may be true. The headlines read: Scientists warn California could be struck by winter ‘superstorm’!
What? You mean predicting earthquakes weren’t enough to send us to Ralphs so that we could stock up on groceries that we really didn't need (essentially helping a doomed California economy.) Yes folks, waging fear upon a species that drinks it up like the myriad of cancerous diet sodas, life appears to be imitating art. Perhaps then, the real stories of the day are as bland as a "Leave it to Beaver" episode and not attention-grabbing enough to pull us away from our Blackberry’s.
Well, at the helm of this buckle is our media! The media authors the stories of the world we live in. Most of us subscribe to the notion that if it's reported, than it simply must be true. From the buzz of the local news to the exploding headlines of the world at large, every moment is captured (if not for our daily lives) for posterity. Vexing headlines echoing sensationalism and melodrama, rival tales spun on the big screen and on network television. Is it possible that the news media is “amping” up its content in order to compete with other genres of media all just to awaken our attention deficit? If the headlines are true, than perhaps I should seriously think about relocating from Los Angeles to another community where it is less likely that I will be swallowed up by the funnel of a menacing "super storm"?
Well, at the helm of this buckle is our media! The media authors the stories of the world we live in. Most of us subscribe to the notion that if it's reported, than it simply must be true. From the buzz of the local news to the exploding headlines of the world at large, every moment is captured (if not for our daily lives) for posterity. Vexing headlines echoing sensationalism and melodrama, rival tales spun on the big screen and on network television. Is it possible that the news media is “amping” up its content in order to compete with other genres of media all just to awaken our attention deficit? If the headlines are true, than perhaps I should seriously think about relocating from Los Angeles to another community where it is less likely that I will be swallowed up by the funnel of a menacing "super storm"?
It appears as though we are returning to a brand of reporting first witnessed during the end of the nineteenth century. It was called "Yellow Journalism." Wikipedia defines Yellow Journalism as presenting "little or no legitimate well-researched news ...instead, using eye-catching headlines to sell more newspapers." While this may or may not be true, it’s fare to say that whatever it is, it’s enough already!
I'm not sure about you, but I'm getting tired of waking up to a world that prepares our society for doom and destruction. I'm also getting annoyed with a media that attempts to apprehend the reality of my world by feeding it with deceptive innuendo just for the sake of getting noticed. But then, I guess if we stop reading and watching the news we’ll only know what we inform each other… and since we live in a culture that texts, emails and IM’s incessantly, that funnel of destruction over Los Angeles may be the better alternative!
I'm not sure about you, but I'm getting tired of waking up to a world that prepares our society for doom and destruction. I'm also getting annoyed with a media that attempts to apprehend the reality of my world by feeding it with deceptive innuendo just for the sake of getting noticed. But then, I guess if we stop reading and watching the news we’ll only know what we inform each other… and since we live in a culture that texts, emails and IM’s incessantly, that funnel of destruction over Los Angeles may be the better alternative!
Yikes…iIt's no wonder people read the Obituaries!!
