President Barack Obama delivered a commencement speech at Hampton University in Virginia on Sunday, with a shout-out to certain entertainment devices that some may feel were a bit unflattering. Here's the quote, unfettered by commentary and in context:
"You’re coming of age in a 24/7 media environment that bombards us with all kinds of content and exposes us to all kinds of arguments, some of which don’t rank all that high on the truth meter," said President Obama. "With iPods and iPads, Xboxes and PlayStations, information becomes a distraction, a diversion, a form of entertainment, rather than a tool of empowerment."
"All of this is not only putting new pressures on you; it is putting new pressures on our country and on our democracy," President Obama added.
This comment may bother some on both the left and the right, who will point out that, in 2008 during the presidential election campaign, then Senator Obama had no problem advertising on the Xbox 360.
Still he makes a valid point about the way media, bloggers, politicos and talking heads who have ideological mission statements tend to tailor information to their liking and with their own spin - whether that be Fox News, MSNBC, CNN, The Huffington Post or The Drudge Report. But as past Presidents can tell you, this is how the game is played - there's just more players on the field thanks to technology.
Source: Politico
Comments
Re: POTUS Bemoans Media Age Noise
I'd say the more disturbing thing about this is that Obama does not know how to use a console or even an iPhone... yet he is making comments about something he does not know about...
It seems that so many politicians who are new to technology don't like it, all because they don't want people to think that they are behind the times...
to be honest, they have nothing to worry about. It is more about the politicians making gross generalizations about young people and their technology that I have a real issue with,
Also I remember when TV was pretty much controlled by the government, and then when the internet became popular the government did not know how to handle it so they tried as hard as they can to bash the internet until it became a fact that the internet was now so popular that the govenments had no choice but to accept that the internet is the new form of information in which they can't have any control over...
Now if Australia gets the internet filter and the government gets control over the people, then what will happen in America?
Re: POTUS Bemoans Media Age Noise
"You’re coming of age in a 24/7 media environment that bombards us with all kinds of content and exposes us to all kinds of arguments, some of which don’t rank all that high on the truth meter."
As opposed to the good old days when politicians only ever told the truth and the media always stuck to the facts?
Re: POTUS Bemoans Media Age Noise
"As opposed to the good old days when politicians only ever told the truth and the media always stuck to the facts?"
This is precisely what drives me nuts about all lamentations over the effects of the internet: the idea that it overthrew some golden age of truth and reasonable, honest discourse where the limited number of media outlets allowed a benevolent, public-spirited elite to ensure that we weren't led astray by exposure to "all kinds of content and arguments."
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Re: POTUS Bemoans Media Age Noise
Data is NOT Information. People struggle telling the difference.
And actually, as a 37 year old, I do see Obamas point in a way, I'm not saying it's neccesarily a well-put point, but I do see it. The world was a lot easier when there were less sides to every story, it wasn't fairer, but it WAS easier, and when many sources of 'information' are working to their own agendas but pretending to be factual, we do have to learn to be a lot more selective and open-minded about the data and information we are given.
There's a famous saying that somewhere, on the Internet, there is something to justify any action, any belief, we cannot expect the Government to do our filtering for us, that would turn supposedly 'free' countries into a regime.
The Internet is like the worlds biggest version of the 'bloke down the pub', look how it's served to polarise views of Global Warming, Evolution/Creation and a host of other hot-topic subjects. Many of those views, both positive and negative without doubt contain misconceptions gained from 'something I read on the Internet'.
It's a great force for good when used sensibly, but, as I think Obama is trying to say, don't consider it a fount of all wisdom, it isn't, and it never will be.
Re: POTUS Bemoans Media Age Noise
Oh, poor President Obama doesn't like it that there are people who disagree with him! Democracy is being sooo hurt because there are many different voices with different opinions out there! If only there were fewer (or one) opinions and voices out there!
Seriously, if Prez George W Bush has said anything remotely like this, the Bush=Hitler ranting would have skyrocketed it higher than it ever did. Obama continues to make Chavez and Castro proud with more asinine statements like this.
Whatever happened to the idea that it was a patriotic duty to be critical of your leaders? Oh, I forgot, that only applies when the "wrong" people are in charge.
All hail the State Party!
Re: POTUS Bemoans Media Age Noise
...and boom goes the hyperbole...
Re: POTUS Bemoans Media Age Noise
To be fair, I understand his point somewhat. The sheer avalanche of information and opinions that we willfully drown ourselves in, makes it harder to give due attention to things that matter. It's hard to say it's a bad thing, as more information in the hands of the people is good. But I wonder if it contributes to our increasing lack of attention span. If it doesn't happen immediately, we stop caring because we've already moved on to the next issue or story. Anyone still talking about the health care reform, which was supposedly life or death for the entire nation as a whole? No? I guess we've moved on. And any solution to a problem that doesn't fix it within a week, is apparently not worth our time. Of course, with so many sources of information, we can be picky about the viewpoints behind it, which has lead us to forget how to argue civilly and to compromise. We have no patience anymore, and maybe the deluge of information is a part of that.
Re: POTUS Bemoans Media Age Noise
I don't doubt for a minute that conservative talk show hosts are still talking about Health Care reform, especially now that 20 AGs are doing there best to stop it. Sadly, other than all the money it's costing companies, the media hasn't talked much about it lately, which will change when the challenges to the law comes up.
Which is really too bad, because we just saw, in Massachussetts, where this craptacular law will lead, less than a month ago.
Re: POTUS Bemoans Media Age Noise
"Fox News, MSNBC, CNN, The Huffington Post or The Drudge Report"
Don't forget the New York Times, CBS, the New York Sun....
"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." -Albert Einstein
"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." -Albert Einstein
Re: POTUS Bemoans Media Age Noise
So information is bad because there's to much of it(and not filtered by the proper groups to heard cats better)?
Mmmmmmmmm figuratively I do not mind slotting media to age ranges and that on the retail shop to shop level it cn be done. Anything more is just.....wankary.....
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