Importance reconsidered

While considering the current state of the American public sphere, I could not help but affiliate it with with current media and technology, and I could not help but be concerned. We spoke in class about the effects that modern media and the development of the internet have had on the public sphere. However, a concern for the state of this sphere that I would like to address does not stem from its globalization or inclusiveness (or lack thereof); this concern comes primarily from the nature of what is being discussed within the sphere as well as the misplaced importance and credibility that comes as a result.

At no time in history has there ever been such an accumulation of accessible information as there is today; a vast library of knowledge is literally at our fingertips. The increasing accessibility of scholarly information is wonderful, especially for academics who value knowledge and learning; the problem is that the amount of truly valuable information on the internet is diluted by an even larger amount of useless information. Then again, when it comes to information, what is "valuable" is somewhat relative, and this is where I begin to get concerned. What is generally deemed "valuable" knowledge in society today is shallow and self-indulgent. Everyone needs to know celebrity gossip and what happened in any number of reality shows, but few feel any urgency to study politics, economics, literature, or other intellectual pursuits. This misplaced value degrades rational debate within the public sphere, as people have less intellectual and academic topics to debate about; instead, the things we debate have little importance in shaping the nation and influencing society. 

(At this point, I would like to say that I am not against using the media and internet for entertainment; it's important to have some fun. However, I do think that placing too much value on shallow gossip and drama information can contribute to some degradation of public discourse.)

In addition, public intellectuals and politicians are being held less accountable for what they say. Because we are spending minimal time researching politically important or controversial topics, we lack knowledge on them. Because of this, politicians and public intellectuals can say something that sounds good, and many people will take their word for it. Those who use the internet and the news to become knowledgeable in truly valuable areas can take what is said, consider it, apply it to what they know, and then make a decision about it; sadly, I don't think that this is not the majority. If it was, the words of intellectuals and politicians would be more deeply analyzed by the general public. 

News coverage is just one more area that is losing credibility due to our misplaced values on information. It's simple: the general public wants drama. We want to see sensationalized stories, and we want gossip over substance; we would rather see know embarrassing details about the lives of our politicians than what their platforms are. News companies cater to what their viewers/readers/listeners want, so if they give up unbiased coverage in favor of drama, gossip, and propaganda, maybe we should educate ourselves and demand a reversal. 

I don't want to pretend I am not part of the problem, because sometimes I can be. This is something I think everyone can work on at least a little bit.