Turning Off TV and Twitter ....

[TheVictors]

So it has been about 6-weeks since I quit Twitter and though my cable TV viewership was already low, I haven't watched a minute of it since the midterms (unless unavoidable like a FoxNews or CNN on a TV in a lobby or public space).


Because of my job I continue to read and absorb financial news and aspects related like trade talks, tax cuts and jobs reports, but none of the tit for tat, back and forth ...esp on the Twitter level of nonsense.


I've never been happier and find myself far less wound about things that ultimately don't matter on a minute by minute hit.




Has anyone else bothered to do something similar? Most I know either prefer Fox or the CNN/MSNBC side ...those on Twitter seem to post/like/retweet things that they get from others - memes and gifs related to their side of a given issue.




What forms of media are still trustworthy? Clearly it's complete CRAP for Fox to pretend its anything but a PR arm for the Trump Admin/GOP, so why bother watching that channel? Same with MSNBC ...why watch?


Seems there in nothing to gain from it other than anxiety, anger and confusion. While everyone screams at one another on Twitter daily life goes on ...it's so much better this way!

 

[Gulo Blue]

I haven't really done this lately. I occasionally check out for a couple days at a time, but not months. I'm not heavy into twitter anyway. No account. I only look when I see a story about soemthing specific.


Anyway, depending on how checked out you might be, the main thing I think you might be missing right now is a Japanese lady that teaches people how to tidy their homes.

 

[Spartanmack]

I don't watch cable news other than the clips I see in links to an article I'm reading online from Drudge or the Daily Wire - mostly from CNN it seems. The only news show I ever watched regularly was the McNeil/Lehrer News Hour, then the McNeil News Hour now the PBS News Hour but even that has lost any sense of objectivity. The only times I go on Twitter are when there's a link to a tweet in an article I'm reading online.

 

[Spartanmack]

Anyway, depending on how checked out you might be, the main thing I think you might be missing right now is a Japanese lady that teaches people how to tidy their homes.

my wife and I watched about half an episode of that about two weeks ago and I was thinking 'who the hell wants to watch 10 episodes of some lady telling people (through an interpreter) to throw out their old junk?'

Then I guess at some point she told a client to get rid of their old books which pissed off a bunch of people waiting for a reason to be pissed off and started a huge twitter storm. And since then it seems like she's all the rage.

 

[tinselwolverine]

I only got Twitter to follow some of the more obscure Michigan sports that don’t get that much radio or television coverage.

I have been watching very little cable news. I think I turned on CNBC to listen to Trump talk about the temporary end of the shutdown.

I don’t know when the State of the Union address is going to be tonight but I imagine I won’t be watching it. Michigan basketball starts in 15 minutes.

Typically I listen to 790 K ABC radio and local broadcast affiliates news reports.

 

[sggatecl]

Has anyone else bothered to do something similar? Most I know either prefer Fox or the CNN/MSNBC side ...those on Twitter seem to post/like/retweet things that they get from others - memes and gifs related to their side of a given issue.

What forms of media are still trustworthy? Clearly it's complete CRAP for Fox to pretend its anything but a PR arm for the Trump Admin/GOP, so why bother watching that channel? Same with MSNBC ...why watch?

I made similar changes but long before Trump was elected. Haven't had cable TV since 2010ish. I'll never go back.

I frequent Reuters for news. Occasionally AP and BBC but not as much. I find Reuters is often just old fashioned news reporting that let's you make the decision on how to feel about it.

I've never done Twitter and only have Facebook to keep in touch with family far away, I unfollow/block habitual political/fake news posters.

 

[Mitchrapp]

What's this Twitter you speak of.

 

[tomdalton22]

I don't use social media at all. No Twitter, Facebook, etc. I don't think I'm missing much. Everybody I know that uses Facebook (mostly women) are on it all of the time and all they do is bitch about what other people post.

 

[Michchamp]

...

What forms of media are still trustworthy? Clearly it's complete CRAP for Fox to pretend its anything but a PR arm for the Trump Admin/GOP, so why bother watching that channel? Same with MSNBC ...why watch?


...

Vic, if I had to pick one (1) single site for news, politics, business, tech, and basically everything but sports, it would be Naked Capitalism.

I didn't really start reading it until after the 2016 election, and I now read it every day, and try to read their long-form pieces on the weekend.

The site is run full time by Susan Webber, a former i-banker, who writes under the pen name Yves Smith. There are a few other regular contributors

They do a morning links feature which aggregates news articles under various headings, along with some commentary, and a 2 PM "Water Cooler" that has news blurbs from during the day, along with summaries of economic stats (shipping #'s, housing starts, manufacturing orders, etc.). Then they have long form pieces worked into that.

I can't recommend it enough. they are spot on in their insights, and called bullshit on a lot of things WAY sooner than anyone else I read (for example Bitcoin/crypto-currency, and on Elon Musk's career) .

The site is non-partisan, although politically they lean left, I guess. They are way more brutal to the Clinton/Pelosi/Schumer Democrats than they are to the GOP.

I don't use social media at all. No Twitter, Facebook, etc. I don't think I'm missing much. Everybody I know that uses Facebook (mostly women) are on it all of the time and all they do is bitch about what other people post.

Facebook is complete garbage.

Twitter is, for better or worse, where a portion of our public discourse occurs these days. And it's also more customizable of an experience than facebook in my opinion... your feed is less "sponsored" garbage than on facebook, and to twitter's credit, sponsored posts are clearly marked. you can also choose who to follow, and block or mute other people or even words, so you can for example tune out noise about "the border wall."

I have my account locked and rarely tweet myself, but mostly just follow along for a couple minutes each day.

 

[Spartanmack]

I don't use social media at all. No Twitter, Facebook, etc. I don't think I'm missing much. Everybody I know that uses Facebook (mostly women) are on it all of the time and all they do is bitch about what other people post.

I've been on Facebook more in the last month than I have in the last couple years - still not much, but I couldn't believe how many ads there are on it now. Didn't like it before and it's only gotten worse.

 

[Michchamp]

I've been on Facebook more in the last month than I have in the last couple years - still not much, but I couldn't believe how many ads there are on it now. Didn't like it before and it's only gotten worse.

Break it up, and nationalize it.

oh, but those are dirty words...

 

[TheVictors]

Agree about Reuter’s & BBC and NPR news breaks on the radio; much more global perspective. Will have to check out new sources now that I’ve taken a break. In addition to eliminating Twitter (some Instagram/FB but mainly so extended family get pics of Vic Jr doing things) I have also stopped listening to sports radio. This happened completely naturally as I found myself switching the channel while on the road - DPS, Cowherd, national shows - and here in Denver where all they yell about are the 11-21 Broncos and who is the worst QB.

I do watch games and some pre/post game but that’s it. MGoBlog is a good portal for UM breaking news but I really haven’t posted there in a long time.

It’s probably less about the content than it is the behavior, artificial stimulation/urgency of it all.

 

[Polish-Hammer]

I don't use social media at all. No Twitter, Facebook, etc. I don't think I'm missing much. Everybody I know that uses Facebook (mostly women) are on it all of the time and all they do is bitch about what other people post.

Tom, this forum is a form of social media!

 

[tomdalton22]

Tom, this forum is a form of social media!

good point

 

[Spartanmack]

Break it up, and nationalize it.

oh, but those are dirty words...

No, they're moronic words. How about people just stop using it if they don't like it - then we don't have to violate private citizens property rights. Mark Zuckerberg's net worth isn't a justification for nationalizing a private company.

 

[Gulo Blue]

?If you don?t read the newspaper, you are uninformed. If you do read the newspaper, you are misinformed.?
-Twain, maybe

 

[Mitchrapp]

I don't use social media at all. No Twitter, Facebook, etc. I don't think I'm missing much. Everybody I know that uses Facebook (mostly women) are on it all of the time and all they do is bitch about what other people post.

Or my older brother. Facebook all the time. I don't understand it.

 

[tinselwolverine]

?If you don?t read the newspaper, you are uninformed. If you do read the newspaper, you are misinformed.?
-Twain, maybe

Got it.

So ?uninformed or misinformed, not sure which, not sure who said it.?

 

[Mitchrapp]

?If you don?t read the newspaper, you are uninformed. If you do read the newspaper, you are misinformed.?
-Twain, maybe

Yes, Twain. Great quote.

 

[TheVictors]

One doesn't have to obsessively reply and like and post all day to be "informed" ....