I was reading an article today
and it struck one of my chords. You know the one deep down that makes you sit up say, "Hey, that's right."
The article talked about the negligible value of news as a “pay now to read” item.
Think about it. Apart from the rubbernecking value – what good does it do you to find out that there was an accident on the other side of the country involving two trucks, a cyclist and a kangaroo?
About the same value as one gets from watching a purple autumn leaf fall from a tree. Actually, less. The examination of the path of falling autumn leaf leaves one feeling elated compared to watching the average News Broadvcast on TV.
Especially if one recites Mantras until the leaf arrives safely on the ground.
Om...... Om...... Om mani padme hum...... Om........
News is just entertainment.
Well that depends on the personal value one allocates to
each minute of ones day. We blogged about the value of Leisure time here. The Leisure time calculator is here - Downloadable spreadsheet)
But if it’s the strong jawed anchorman or the cute newswomen, hell, Playgirl or Playboy magazine is full of them and you don’t have to listen to all that sheep programming doom and gloom……
So lets go to the Internet Geeks and see what they think of news.
P2P Users know a good deal. Free is a good deal. So when Free is the deal and Free is what Rupert Murdoch is complaining about – one needs to see what P2P users think of News.
Let me see, this weeks downloads must have a news item somewhere. Nope. Not one single search request (out of 97 million search requests since Sunday) for Fox News or anything with the word news in it.
Let’s face it – even when it’s free P2P users don’t want it.
So what does that tell us about the value of News as a paid for article (a la Murdoch walled garden plan)?
So who actually uses the news?
Well Academic researchers sometimes quote the newspapers. Oh goody what can we charge them? Well err nothing. They get it fro free through their University library cards.
Other TV stations and Newspapers sometimes quote us……
Oh Goody, what can we charge them. Well, nothing – coz we quote them as well.
OK so who the hell will pay for news? It must be worth something to someone…….
Nope – Hell even the TV news is second now to Facebook.
I heard of Patrick Swayzes' demise on Facebook two hours before the Australian media networks published anything.
Ten things you can do that are infinitely more valuable than watching the news:
(Ladies, this is the boys list….. which is really all I’m qualified to write – as I’m a boy. If one of you would like to write a girls list – I will be only too happy to publish it.)
No. 10: Channel Surf and watch all the adverts, then prepare a price comparison table for your wife so that the next time she goes shopping she will know which item is the cheapest to buy. (This benefits your pocket).
No. 9 Download Emule or Bit-torrent and find a pile of Public Domain Movies to download. This will reduce the amount of videos the kids will want to rent – if only you can convince them that the 1929 pre talkies movie of Buston Keaton and the Keystone cops is better than the Return of Spider Man IV.
No 8. After you have failed to convince the kids about Buster Keaton – take them to the movies – they would love it if you surprised them with a movie on a school night……
No 7. Read all those books you purchased by the yard from the auctioneer so that your friends would think you were a cultured learned man.
No 6. Take the wife upstairs for a bit. (Yes even if you’re 70……. Have you heard of Viagra?)
No. 5. Pop down to the pub/bar and have a couple of jars/drinks with Charley, Sam and Bill. One of them is sure to have a winning stock pick on which you could make millions.
No. 4. Pop outside and do some hoops (that’s basketball to you) with the teenager. When was the last time you did that?
No. 3. Spend half an hour a day tending bonsai saying Omni Mani Padme Hum – very spiritual.
No. 2. Check the temperature of the Still to make sure that tomorrow nights after work cocktails wont taste like yeast.
And the number one thing to do instead of watching over-sensationalized journalism designed to instill in you absolute fear and horror of going out into the streets without being escorted by at least a regiment of marine corp (with M16’s), four stealth fighters overhead, an armoured bulletproof car and without having to make out your will before hand……
Tune in to Youtube…..
Here’s one that, unlike the news, will actually cheer you up.
Of course – if you do all of these things instead of watching the news. You will (if you are currently an average Australian, aged averagely 35 years old….) Save 3,250 hours (to age 60) of rubbernecking time wasting low quality media entertainment to live that life that is so short and so precious.
That's four and half months of extra living...... and not feeling scared.
Thank-you for reading this article. Now go and get a real life – you only have a few million seconds left.
References:
Cult of the Amateur
http://andrewkeen.typepad.com/the_great_seduction/2006/10/my_book_now_not.html
ISBN: 9780385520805
The Cult of the Professional
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/4/13/952/10706/140/486004
Big newspaper sites 'erode value of news', says Sly Bailey
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/apr/17/sly-bailey-newspaper-websites-digital-britain
