Sad, sad, sad...

The following exchange took place on the Dan Simmons forum, to which I regularly post. I'm KenBreadbox; my respondent is "SlimIcy".

 Originally Posted By: KenBreadbox

I'm obviously WAY behind the times. Because although I fancy myself very well connected (I listen to an all-news radio station at least twice daily, watch the television news nightly, have a subscription to one newspaper and regularly buy two others, have a subscription to MACLEANS (Canada's NEWSWEEK) and THE ECONOMIST, and that doesn't even *count* my online meanderings that are apt to lead me anywhere)

Ken,

I have no idea how old you are, but if you think the above sources keep you well connected to anyone under the age of 30 you're way off base  

I'm 25, and consider myself on the "intellectual" side of all my friends and peers (and most of them would agree), and I'm lucky if I remember to look at CNN.com once a day. I don't know anyone that watches news on TV (Stewart/Colbert don't count), and to be frank, some people I know form their opinions on current events around episodes of South Park, The Office, and 24.

Newspapers, serious magazines, and news shows really won't last much longer. Between my close group of 20 or so friends we have between us 6 subscriptions to ESPN the Magazine, 2 subscriptions to Sports Illustrated, 10 subscriptions to Maxim, and a few to Playboy. Zero newspapers, zero Time, Newsweek, etc. 

We're in a weird flux right now, with mediums of information exchange constantly shifting. It'll be interesting to see where things lead. 

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Please, God, no.

I can perhaps see newspapers shifting online. The Toronto SUN already offers a good 80% of their content online, for free; doubtless that's why they had to increase the price of their dead-tree version up to 53% a couple of weeks ago. Magazines, too, I suppose. The appeal of print versions for me is portability, or as Shakira sang, "Whenever, Wherever". I just can't picture sitting on the john, laptop in hand. Not to mention I can read print for hours without hurting my eyes.

The idea that people form their ideas on current affairs from prime-time television shocks and depresses me.