Can we survive on candy?

If only Seth Godin would stop having important things to say, I’d stop referring to him in my blog, Facebook posts and general conversation.

Today he sums up the disastrous dumbing down we are all experiencing all the time. Fortunately, it’s not that difficult to change, if we just pay attention to it.

The decline of thoughtful media has been discussed for a century. This is not new. What is new: A fundamental shift not just in the profit-seeking gatekeepers, but in the culture as a whole.

…

Clickbait works for a reason. Because people click on it.

The thing about clickbait, though, is that it exists to catch prey, not to inform them. It’s bait, after all.

So? Click this instead.

 

Rumors of its death are greatly exaggerated

"I am not the editor of a newspaper and shall always try to do right and be good so that God will not make me one." -- newspaperman Mark Twain

You know, newspapers seem to have been “dying” for a long time now.

But imagine you had never heard of a newspaper and somebody told you they’d invented a news medium that:

• Was delivered to you automatically every morning
• Had a giant, crisp, easy to read display — even for small type and detailed graphics
• Was completely portable
• Included huge amounts of content
• Didn’t require access to the Net or to a power source
• Cost just 75 cents a day

Doesn’t that sound like the coolest technology ever? Here’s the latest poll. Check it out.

Fast Fact – Nearly 90% of Americans Read Their Local Newspaper