Surprised not to see podcasts mentioned! Seems to be the primary way people consume discourse now... personally I don’t like listening to two people figure stuff out, I’d rather listen to an audiobook, but they seem tremendously popular specifically because they provide a though-provoking conversation.
Hey Phil, I unfortunately just saw this comment (ironic that I missed the opportunity for discourse on a post about it...)
Regardless of my missed opportunity, I agree with you that podcasts are closely related to this, and podcasts are also part of the problem. In this essay I read recently https://jsomers.net/DFW_TV.pdf, there is a great quote about TV: "[TV] engages without demanding... Receiving without giving," then it is compared to candy and alcohol - which are, imo, great comparisons. I've long wondered why drinking alcohol is the default social activity and the best I can come up with is that it the lowest effort thing you can do that really feels like you are doing something
Podcasts fall into the same realm for me. They can be great learning resources when you actively use the insights in your life or in personal creations. But more often (and I'm just as guilty of this than anybody), it is an activity done to feel productive (or smart), when really it's the lowest effort way to get that feeling.
Surprised not to see podcasts mentioned! Seems to be the primary way people consume discourse now... personally I don’t like listening to two people figure stuff out, I’d rather listen to an audiobook, but they seem tremendously popular specifically because they provide a though-provoking conversation.
Hey Phil, I unfortunately just saw this comment (ironic that I missed the opportunity for discourse on a post about it...)
Regardless of my missed opportunity, I agree with you that podcasts are closely related to this, and podcasts are also part of the problem. In this essay I read recently https://jsomers.net/DFW_TV.pdf, there is a great quote about TV: "[TV] engages without demanding... Receiving without giving," then it is compared to candy and alcohol - which are, imo, great comparisons. I've long wondered why drinking alcohol is the default social activity and the best I can come up with is that it the lowest effort thing you can do that really feels like you are doing something
Podcasts fall into the same realm for me. They can be great learning resources when you actively use the insights in your life or in personal creations. But more often (and I'm just as guilty of this than anybody), it is an activity done to feel productive (or smart), when really it's the lowest effort way to get that feeling.