My kids love to tell me how much better their generation is than mine. This is what I want of course, being their mother, but they’re so cocky about it that I have to debate them. My girls point to the internet, and how they’re infinitely more informed than I ever was. I have to remind them that this influx of news doesn’t always educate and often just makes it harder to find the truth.
Take for instance, your social media feed at this very moment.
If it’s anything like mine, it’s filled with angry stories and click-bait to websites you’ve never heard of. These posts usually support someone’s political stance and, before you scream LIBERAL or CONSERVATIVE at me, all sides of this particular fence are guilty.
I recently decided to stop reading any story that had a political slant or wasn’t from a network news website (they need ratings too badly to express opinions). I did this because it has become increasingly impossible to tell truth from click-bait.
I can tell you, as someone who runs a website, that we will do anything to get your click. Yes, sometimes even lead with a sensational title that speaks more to your itchy click-finger than it does to the actual post (See above-Sorry!).
I stopped reading click-bait posts from unfamiliar websites and turned my attention to podcasts, which has been truly eye-opening.
I spent the last few months listening to stories about true crime and old Hollywood. I learned about S-Town and went on an extended hunt for Richard Simmons. I’ve eavesdropped on physicists debating life on other planets, and listened in on couples therapy. That’s when something incredible happened. Continue reading →