Judge Posner Cogitates On "The Media"

Thirty years ago the average number of television channels that Americans could receive was seven; today, with the rise of cable and satellite television, it is 71. Thirty years ago there was no Internet, therefore no Web, hence no online newspapers and magazines, no blogs. The public's consumption of news and opinion used to be like sucking on a straw; now it's like being sprayed by a fire hose.

Bow to my mighty fire hose, dearest reader!

So why do people consume news and opinion? In part it is to learn of facts that bear directly and immediately on their lives - hence the greater attention paid to local than to national and international news. They also want to be entertained, and they find scandals, violence, crime, the foibles of celebrities and the antics of the powerful all mightily entertaining.

Two words: Hell yeah! Thanks, Judge Posner! Vast quantities of details here from the New York Times.

Comments

[PG]

I think Posner both over and under-estimates blogs, but partly by virtue of his being a blogger himself, he seems to "get it" more than most. Hard to believe that he's older than my parents.

[Nitro]

I wish I was there at the moment :)