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Even when I was younger, I was baffled by how people could get their news just from TV, because the amount of information in a TV news report was so tiny compar

by BrenBarn 10mo ago

Even when I was younger, I was baffled by how people could get their news just from TV, because the amount of information in a TV news report was so tiny compared to what you'd get in a newspaper. When I hear that people view TikTok as their main news source, it's like telling me people wear watermelons as socks. It's so nuts its hard for me to even bring the concept into my brain.

carlosjobim 10mo ago
The TV will have maybe 5 stories, each told in one way only. The Internet (including TikTok) will have nearly unlimited stories, told in unlimited ways. I remember very well when just a few powerful people were allowed to decide what the public would be allowed to know and not know. They could suppress huge stories and leave the public in the dark. For example Chernobyl. They still try that today in print media and television, but have become a pathetic laughing stock now that information is free. Somebody getting news from TikTok will probably be better informed than somebody relying only on print or TV.
- embedding-shape 10mo ago
  > Somebody getting news from TikTok will probably be better informed than somebody relying only on print or TV. Possible, but also quite unlikely. From the people who post "news" on TikTok, I wonder how many spent at least 30-60 minutes on verifying what they're about to post? There is an endless sea of "influencers" who want to be first with posting something, that "validate what you're about to report" doesn't even enter the arena before they've posted their snippet. And if it's retracted, count on the video just silently disappearing. Contrast that with TV and print that at least have some sort of validation, although imperfect, with editors and what not, that review things before they're published. Now of course, US media is a really shit example of proper journalism, as they've all fallen into basically doing "content creation", but if you look at other newspapers and news channels around the world, you'll see that proper journalism is still done, and the people pushing videos on TikTok usually do "content creation" very differently from TV and paper, with very different understanding of what they're actually contributing to.
- oytis 10mo ago
  An infinite stream of all possible information, true and false is exactly as useful as no information at all - and social media are getting pretty close to this ideal
  - carlosjobim 10mo ago
    It demands more of the person seeking information. Just like any intelligence gathering. It's usually not very hard to verify information, and then you know which sources to trust better.
    - oytis 10mo ago
      That's a classic trick of opinion manipulation. You start an account that posts factual content that caters to target audience. Then once the rapport is built, you throw your narratives in. The barrier to do this, on scale, all the time has never been lower
      - carlosjobim 10mo ago
        All media is opinion manipulation. You could even stretch that to say that all communication is opinion manipulation. Highly respected and highly ranked mass media sometimes publish outright lies and made up stories, completely knowingly. Because they are in the business of manipulation. So you have to trust your gut, and verify if something smells strange. Many times it isn't even possible to verify, as for much of war reporting. There will never be a time when there will be an absolute guarantee of anything. Not as long as there are people.
    - abustamam 10mo ago
      I think there's a difference between trying to stay informed and seeking information. I swipe to my newsfeed and see seven stories ranging from local to national, from local news station to fox to New York times. Fact checking each of these stories will take time that I do not care to spend, and I imagine most folks will not.
      - 10mo ago
- abustamam 10mo ago
  > The Internet (including TikTok) will have nearly unlimited stories, told in unlimited ways. Mainstream TV channels have their biases but "unlimited" doesn't actually mean anything if the content you're getting served is whatever the algorithm thinks will engage you, which is usually something that already aligns with your world view, or something that doesn't but is designed to outrage. Most average folks who browse the internet aren't looking past the sensational headlines they see in their Apple or Google curated news feeds.
- NoMoreNicksLeft 10mo ago
  >Somebody getting news from TikTok will probably be better informed than somebody relying only on print or TV. Imagine talking about how the "internet has unlimited stories" and then following up with "people who use TikTok are better informed". If you're getting the information by listening to one of those jackasses in their sing-song presenter voices... you're not getting information at all. You're functionally illiterate and hyponotized by someone who learned to exploit Youtube-style algorithms.

carlosjobim 10mo ago

The TV will have maybe 5 stories, each told in one way only. The Internet (including TikTok) will have nearly unlimited stories, told in unlimited ways. I remember very well when just a few powerful people were allowed to decide what the public would be allowed to know and not know. They could suppress huge stories and leave the public in the dark. For example Chernobyl. They still try that today in print media and television, but have become a pathetic laughing stock now that information is free. Somebody getting news from TikTok will probably be better informed than somebody relying only on print or TV.

embedding-shape 10mo ago
> Somebody getting news from TikTok will probably be better informed than somebody relying only on print or TV. Possible, but also quite unlikely. From the people who post "news" on TikTok, I wonder how many spent at least 30-60 minutes on verifying what they're about to post? There is an endless sea of "influencers" who want to be first with posting something, that "validate what you're about to report" doesn't even enter the arena before they've posted their snippet. And if it's retracted, count on the video just silently disappearing. Contrast that with TV and print that at least have some sort of validation, although imperfect, with editors and what not, that review things before they're published. Now of course, US media is a really shit example of proper journalism, as they've all fallen into basically doing "content creation", but if you look at other newspapers and news channels around the world, you'll see that proper journalism is still done, and the people pushing videos on TikTok usually do "content creation" very differently from TV and paper, with very different understanding of what they're actually contributing to.
oytis 10mo ago
An infinite stream of all possible information, true and false is exactly as useful as no information at all - and social media are getting pretty close to this ideal
- carlosjobim 10mo ago
  It demands more of the person seeking information. Just like any intelligence gathering. It's usually not very hard to verify information, and then you know which sources to trust better.
  - oytis 10mo ago
    That's a classic trick of opinion manipulation. You start an account that posts factual content that caters to target audience. Then once the rapport is built, you throw your narratives in. The barrier to do this, on scale, all the time has never been lower
    - carlosjobim 10mo ago
      All media is opinion manipulation. You could even stretch that to say that all communication is opinion manipulation. Highly respected and highly ranked mass media sometimes publish outright lies and made up stories, completely knowingly. Because they are in the business of manipulation. So you have to trust your gut, and verify if something smells strange. Many times it isn't even possible to verify, as for much of war reporting. There will never be a time when there will be an absolute guarantee of anything. Not as long as there are people.
  - abustamam 10mo ago
    I think there's a difference between trying to stay informed and seeking information. I swipe to my newsfeed and see seven stories ranging from local to national, from local news station to fox to New York times. Fact checking each of these stories will take time that I do not care to spend, and I imagine most folks will not.
    - 10mo ago
abustamam 10mo ago
> The Internet (including TikTok) will have nearly unlimited stories, told in unlimited ways. Mainstream TV channels have their biases but "unlimited" doesn't actually mean anything if the content you're getting served is whatever the algorithm thinks will engage you, which is usually something that already aligns with your world view, or something that doesn't but is designed to outrage. Most average folks who browse the internet aren't looking past the sensational headlines they see in their Apple or Google curated news feeds.
NoMoreNicksLeft 10mo ago
>Somebody getting news from TikTok will probably be better informed than somebody relying only on print or TV. Imagine talking about how the "internet has unlimited stories" and then following up with "people who use TikTok are better informed". If you're getting the information by listening to one of those jackasses in their sing-song presenter voices... you're not getting information at all. You're functionally illiterate and hyponotized by someone who learned to exploit Youtube-style algorithms.