I didn't write that article, but I certainly could have - I've noticed exactly the same things, and clearly have had some identical conversations with people ab

I didn't write that article, but I certainly could have - I've noticed exactly the same things, and clearly have had some identical conversations with people about the value of "being informed." The way I describe it is that all you can ever hope for with "following the news" is eventual consistency with some representative subset of world events. I don't know what's happening as it happens, and I don't know everything that's happened, so I'm (by the requirements of reality) both behind and only updated on some events. I'm just happy being far longer on the "eventual" window and having a somewhat lower amount of representative content. What I've also learned is that almost everything actually important will filter to me some way or another. It's absolutely impossible to live under a rock if you interact with other people, because they'll ask you about XYZ event. And, often, enjoy updating you if you've not heard about it! I also agree with the "Read three books" observation - I'd rather someone recommend three books on an interesting topic to me than link me to some hour long video. The books take longer, but I'm likely to have at least some familiarity with the topic, from a few different points, with the books. YouTube will make people think they've got some understanding, when it's largely missing.