FAQ's

Yesterday was a different sort of day.  I spent time in the morning doing general house work.  Merril had the car serviced (it was a complimentary service that told us what we liked hearing.  “All is well with the car.”) In the evening we attended a remembrance service and did whatever needed doing to help out.
I did watch something I found incredibly interesting. It was a podcast.  It sounds “hip and happening” to be watching podcasts but it was significant to what was being discussed.
It was being said that most older people get their news from what they call “legacy media.”  That is like the ABC, the local TV channels and newspapers.  Whereas younger people tend to get ideas from a wide range of social media sources.
To highlight what was being said, an example of a popular US podcaster was given.  This podcaster regularly attract between 7-8 million viewers and downloads of the program for January alone were over 400 million.  Merril mentioned two people she knows that never watch the “legacy media” news, so she wondered where they were getting their information.
That was like inconceivable to me.  I flip between the news on tv and watch channel 7, the ABC and some Sky news.  Occasionally I will watch CNN.  I used to subscribe to Newsweek and would read it from cover to cover.
What the podcast said is very much what I feel and potentially very good news.  The legacy media tends to tell me what to think.  It is evident the world view being promoted.
The thing about social media (which is both potentially very good a very bad) is that many world views are promoted and many journalists talk about many things in an open-minded way.  There is less telling a person what to think and more giving both sides and leaving someone to make up their own mind (along with a plethora of those promoting my way or the highway – at best.
This trend to me is being reflected in the censuses.  Many are not saying they are of any particular denomination (a legacy trend) and are more likely to say they are “spiritual not religious.”
Personally I think that is good.  Confidence in “has been” media is diminishing while openness to what could be is growing.  People land on all sorts of coping structures, but we are not hearing only that one is right and must be accepted without question. Media people are asking questions, and many are going on the journey with them.
I must admit that restores my confidence, but I do think a lot needs to be redone.  Those that shout loudest represent some but not all. Unfortunately some are unwilling to abide a contrary opinion or even me making up my own mind.  But that is just one world view and I (and most) will decide things for myself.