Its been months now since I took part in any TV watching, newspaper reading, radio listening, or use of any other media except the Web that has commercials or advertisements. Without going too deeply into all the benefits of this in my life suffice to say I never look back, never miss TV or radio, and surely don’t miss the commercials. I find myself wondering often “where did I ever get the time to watch TV?” That’s probably the best part – I got a whole bunch of time back.
As the distance between me and the media has grown I’ve spent a little time looking at what drives the whole thing. I’ve identified some obvious connections and opened some questions.
Obvious connection: TV content exists to get people to watch commercials. Commercials exist to change your mind.
When I watched TV my usuals were new analysis shows or just news and channels like National Geographic, Discovery, History, etc. Funny how I sort of prided myself on the “educational and informative” choice of content. That was kind of like being proud of eating fruit for choosing a banana split over the fudge brownie sundae.
The types of commercials I remember most were things like investment and stock buying companies, cholesterol medicine, depression medicine, restaurants and fast food, junk food, weight loss products, male enhancement and erection pills, and toilet paper. I’m sure there were more.
So, following the train of thought that media content, including the news, is nothing more than a mechanism to drive you to watch commercials, and that commercials serve no other purpose to change your mind – specifically to create or amplify a need in your mind, look at what they want to create a need for.
How much of a stretch is it to assume that no matter how enriching the actual between-commercial content is, if the entire enterprise as a whole does not fail at its main purpose, I’m going to be walking around believing on some level or resisting the belief that my money isn’t safe and productive, I’m fat and about to have a heart attack, I’m depressed, I’d be so much happier with some sloppy ribs or a triple cheeseburger or ten layer burrito, that the unit isn’t stiff enough or big enough, and that even my toilet paper is substandard.
Funny thing is – since I’ve been media free I don’t worry much about money at all, I’m happy with my weight and health and should be because my weight and health is very good, I suffer no symptoms of depression, I don’t like the idea of eating food that’s bad for me, my unit is fine, and so is my toilet paper.
One of the startling connections is all the cholesterol medicines, weight loss schemes, and all the junk/fast food/restaurant commercials. Talk about a self-licking ice cream cone! They sell you Big Macs, potato chips, baby back ribs, beer, and soft drinks to clog the arteries then sell you the pills to unclog them and the snake oil and gizmos to get rid of the fat you put on eating that crap.
The dating sites need you to be lonely and the investment brokers need you to be worried about your future and the toilet paper companies need you to have an irritated bottom – enter drug companies to sell you depression and anxiety pills.
I could write a whole other post on the possibilities of where the “news” content fits in with all this. I mean, you know someone chooses what’s going to be news and what’s not right? Dozens, hundreds, maybe thousands of women disappear or are abused but there’s only one missing white woman of the week. Again, that’s another post.
Do I think people are strategizing in a smoke-filled windowless room about how to continue pulling this off? No, not really – its more a product of the collective consciousness. I don’t know what’s pulling the crazy train or who’s driving or exactly where its going, I’m just happy to be off it.
