I belong in a society where local TV dominate lives. Every now and then someone may come up and ask me random things about a local soap, the latest celebrity gossip and various jokes that I just can’t relate to. Then I realize I don’t have to answer those questions because it’s obviously written all over my face that I don’t know what the hell they are talking about. Well for some reason this may be humiliating if you think you’re an idiot just because you don’t know certain information while others do. I think otherwise.
Seriously, would it kill you not knowing about who among the famous celebrities are dating, broken off or mischievously have decided to become an addict? Wouldn’t you feel awful after watching news informing you that people committed murder, theft, rape, suicide or treachery? Are you still entertained watching shows that shuns optimism and exaggerates misery which adds to your depression?
I have nothing against the local media, while in fact I am a film and photo enthusiast myself, it’s just that two decades of my existence had passed and it has been amplified by education and experience that I came to realize that nothing really matters until you give such importance. Yes, something exists when you give a damn! The less you know about mundane affairs, the more you are free to acquire information that is relevant. An author, Timothy Ferriss, simply depicted this as the ‘low-information diet’ or ‘selective ignorance’.
I just don’t care!
I have ceased patronizing the local media for a long time and shunned its existence for over a year now. Although there are few instances that I have no choice but to sit in a couch while the local TV is on and find myself stupefied when everyone else in the room knows exactly what the show on the screen is about except me. I also remember that I used to watch a 30-minute game segment in a local noontime show because the contestants panic due to time pressure which I find hilarious, nevertheless I don’t watch the whole show. It doesn’t bother me that I have known less of the local scene. Almost everything I need is just a click away. I have spent most of my time with the Internet; working as a Virtual Assistant, playing games, chatting, researching, watching movies/foreign shows etc. But I’m not a total computer junkie as I still find time to read books and spend time with my family or friends.
Moreover, I find the local media mostly absurd and less enticing. It was last week when I passed by our living room while my mom was watching local news then I’ve heard that the father of a famous local singer was stabbed to death. Of course it was terrible news but it wouldn’t hurt to watch in awhile for the details; but then the next three news segments circulated with that same story which was ridiculous. I thought to myself, yes it’s sad to know about a man who suffered a cruel fate, but is it really necessary to stretch the truth about a man who died just because his daughter is famous? Do the local media have any other relevant news to cover? A lot of times I question their quality over quantity and the credibility of the news anchors who greets the viewers a good evening when the news is full of nothing but unpleasant. Besides that there are also TV shows that are foreign adaptations and their production poorly expects a high rating from the local viewers. The program is probably a hit abroad but it doesn’t necessarily mean it’d be a success here too. Well I don’t know about the current ratings, but I’ve always known that our countrymen are born with innate creativity and I just don’t see the point why the local media needs to duplicate foreign ideas rather than creating something authentic for the public. It’s disheartening to see that the local media emanates a desperate act of gaining publicity without further emphasis on the real issues that the society really needs to be informed about.
As one psychologist have said “conformity is death” and with that statement depicts herd mentality. Not everything on the media is a credible fact; for if that is true, then the world doesn’t need scientists or researchers who rely on the scientific method to declare veracity.
The more information you find, the more you seek, and the more you find.
A habit to prohibit information overload; stop wasting precious time on unnecessary thoughts. Don’t let these worthless information clutter the mind!
