In the book Feed, M. T. Anderson writes of a future where most people have computer implants in their heads. These "feeds"take over the ability to read, write and even think for oneself. In way, while convenient, RSS does a little bit of that. Each day, it feeds me summaries from websites that I have chosen. In the book, the world is controlled by the feed. With my RSS conenctions, I control the news and information I receive and by doing so, I wonder what am I missing?
For awhile now, the death knoll of the newspaper has been sounded. The drums thump that subscriptions are falling. Thump-ad revenue is slipping. Thump-the actual size of the paper itself is shrinking. Are these all signs of the end of the printed word? The debate continues with new data added to the argument each day. What isn't changing however, is that as a society, we're becoming more divided and absorbed by our own self interests. If The Daily Show is my only source for news (as it is for many college students), I'll get just a one sided view of current events. If I read just the New York Times, the likehood of being exposed to ideas and views different than my own increases dramatically. Newspapers purposefully employ columnists with differing viewpoints such as David Brooks and Maureen Dowd. The interet has the power to bring people together, but it also has the ability to keep us apart in that we can focus on just the things that are of interest to us, never having to consider another viewpoint.
That said, no doubt about it, RSS feeds are useful. But for the time being, I'll continue to make my daily visits to various news websites and enjoy the clicks that lead me to read something that challenges me, enrages me or even reinforces something I know. When else will I have time to sit and enjoy a cup of coffee?
(Note: I have a bloglines account and have had one for a couple of years. A bunch of librarian friends all set them up. We thought it might be a faster way to get at information rather than checking each website each day. Included in my feed are headlines from NYT, Salon, The Atlantic, CSM and a bunch of educational technology sources. Included in the feeds of my friend and co-23 sticker Steve is this breaking news website.)
2 comments:
Ok, I just spent way too much time looking at Perez Hilton!
I too worry that since I do get news on TV from the "Daily Show" and "Colbert Report", that I'm missing something. And then I see the "reporting" going on at the 24 hour channels regarding non news, or speculation, and I think maybe I'm on the right track.
I still read the Star Tribune, I just do it online. And I do try to read Katherine Kersten occasionally to see what the other side is saying/spewing!
Will Richardson just tweeted about this:
http://timespeople.nytimes.com/packages/addons/timespeople/
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