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VS.
I’ve noticed a rise in complaints on social media platforms lately and I can’t say that I don’t agree to some extent with the outrage voiced by many in regard to the state of media and the online stories that are being published.
There is nothing that breaks a journalist quite as much as having their material ignored, unshared and unread in the face of so much fluff being passed off as news.
But such is the brutal reality of current journalism and its progressive mutation. Such is the power of the click. YOUR click.
While many continue to voice outrage against fluff pieces, clickbait titles and other sensationalist publications, the fact remains one: The links are still being clicked.
Even as you voice discontent at certain pieces, while doing so you are still sharing them, thus reenacting a modern cyber interpretation of the “The Boy Who Cried Wolf”.
You complain, bang your fists in anger, and ask:
“How dare the media underestimate our intelligence?”
“Why are journalists lowering their standards?”
“Journalists are to blame, the media is to blame, it’s not our fault.”
Well I am here to tell you that it IS your fault, our collective fault.
Your supposed outrage is only getting others to click on that link, thus feeding the very cycle you are protesting.
That is the truth of the matter and so long as this trend continues expect nothing less than a continuous rise in fluff material at the expense of quality pieces.
And as news continues to rely more and more on social media and the online world for exposure, you will remain the sole makers or breakers of this trend.
You have a choice, in fact you ARE the choice. So next time you decide to click on a link, think of the repercussions that will follow. Think of the journalists who are pressured to regurgitate such pieces or otherwise face the sack.
As Jim Morrison once said, "Whoever controls the media, controls the mind." So fight, fight for your mind.