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In light of recent events concerning newscasters being lost in the fog of… memory—
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it may be pertinent to ask: can we trust the news media?
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For proclaimed “priest of postmodernism” Jean Baudrillard,
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it isn't lack of access to information that renders the news meaningless,
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it's the proliferation of images that makes it so untrustworthy.
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Depending on where you get your news, you'll see “evidence” that climate change is a myth, or a serious problem.
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Enough searching reveals that Paul McCartney is really dead,
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Stanley Kubrick faked the moon landing and 9-11 was an inside job.
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If you look hard enough you can find the contrapositive, underside, or opposite of any event.
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These multiple interpretations don't make the world more accessible —
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the explosion of information, of events, makes the ability to understand the world nearly impossible.
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The camera lens makes every image suspect. War is reduced to theatre, disease into telethon, hunger into magazine covers.
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It makes the most atrocious events questionable —
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every image is possibly staged, recreated, simulated for a political end or to push a product.
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There are hundreds of news channels all competing for viewers, followers, and hashtaggers.
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Media and advertising operate on the same wavelength,
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and as a result, the line between reality, marketing, and news is nearly impossible to discern.
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Media outlets and advertisers compete to keep people glued to their couches,
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perpetually titillated by the explosion of content on the screen.
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It's the selling of a lifestyle, a promise of access to the truth, as something to produce meaning —
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it's why reporters appear at the scene of crimes, embed themselves with military units during war,
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and stand on the banks of oceans during hurricanes — the signs of disasters are images to be consumed.
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While our lives may be utterly boring and meaningless —
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the nightly news reports that there are in fact places where things take place.
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It sells the promise that meaningful things do happen.
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They broadcast stories of actual events, but far from giving viewers access to the world,
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the media creates a copy of an event — they create non-events…
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Xerox copies of reality that are easily ingested by a society that has been trained to accept advertising, suggestion, and disinformation.
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For Baudrillard, we're complicit in this disinformation campaign.
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People willingly choose deception — the masses want to be tricked, fooled, and distracted from the reality of their lives.
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Simply put: we prefer the copy of reality.
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In the world of social media, we are no longer passive spectators.
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We interact, create, and dictate news — we are the screen, the editor, reporter, and subscriber all at once.
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So dearest viewer, if Sylvester Stallone is in the Boxing hall of fame as Rocky Balboa,
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and if people still believe the lie that wrestling is real how are we ever supposed to find out if Paul McCartney is alive?
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Greetings, beloved viewer. And thanks again for watching 8-bit philosophy.
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This week, 8-bit is sponsored again by Audible who is going to give you a free audio book for being a fan of the show.
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Yes, that's right: Free. Now you don't need to be a great philosopher to comprehend the virtue of free things.
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So go to Audible.com/8bit and claim what is rightfully yours. If you enjoy this episode on the media, you might also enjoy Gone girl by Gillian Flynn.
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On top of being an incredible thriller, Flynn's book also offer some really interesting insights on the way the media shapes and often perverts truth.
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As Socrates once said, "Don't be a dick." Support our sponsor. Oh, and if you like this episode,
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be sure to check out our Ninja Turtles episode: "Is God Useful?" Again, thank you, beloved viewer.