The Evolution of My Media Diet
We are shaped by our environment - media consumption included. Anecdotally, for many, media consumption is broken. Mine certainly was. And while no means perfect today, I'm moving in the right direction.
Sometimes we're consuming media to not think and turn the brain off for a few minutes - for which scrolling through IG or Snap, or watching a few minutes of Good Morning America is excellent.
But if most time is being spent here, you're missing out.
I think 2020 has caused many to ask, 'what is worth paying attention to, both personally and professionally?' So I'll tell you my own personal thoughts, as it relates what I spend my time reading, watching and listening to.
What I've stopped:
National, local news. Political shows (CNN, Fox News, MSNBC.) All fall in the category of rarely being informative nor interested in presenting thoughtful discussions. It doesn't challenge me or make me think critically in the least. Much of it is designed for audience capture; just spewing what everyone wants to hear, creating an echo chamber out of touch with reality. Hearing about a shooting overnight or seeing the latest COVID-19 deaths in big red bold font does nothing for me.
Show me someone who watches the news regularly and I'll show you someone who's uninformed, anxious, can't think for themselves, and is generally more cynical than they otherwise would be. Is it harmless to periodically turn on the news for ten minutes every few days? Sure. But be wary if you're sitting down watching the same programming each day for hours on end. Note: if you follow these organizations on Facebook therefore consuming their content not on TV, but via Facebook feed, it's the same thing. Maybe worse because of the comments section!
CNBC & Bloomberg. It used to be on my TV all day, every day during stock market hours. And while I still tune in periodically (there are guests and hosts who remain thoughtful and informative) being bombarded market updates 24/7 wasn't helping me make better portfolio decisions for clients. I think I was confusing being informed with being distracted.
Sports/Movies. Sadly, my kids are starting to be more informed fans than I. It's hard to set aside 3 hours to watch an entire Pats game on a Sunday afternoon or an entire Celtics game on a Wednesday night. I can't name a current player in college basketball. And I'm light these days on the shows/movies/series front. Over the past ten months, I've gotten through only Ozark and Schitt's Creek. Lame!
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What I do:
With mixed feelings, I still subscribe to four 'traditional' publications - The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Boston Globe (local) and Barron's. It's true that 99% of what's in the newspaper each day is just noise that turns over regularly. That all said, I still really enjoy (mostly) coffee and going through the morning papers.
I'm wildly bullish on direct-to-consumer (DTC) business models, notably in journalism. Many prominent writers have left bigger institutions (which I believe we're just at the start of) to launch standalone services. If you read the New York Times because you enjoy Andrew Sullivan or Matthew Yglesias, you're going to reconsider paying for the entire paper when you can subscribe to their work directly via Substack. I'm thrilled to pay Ben Thompson $15/month to receive the Stratechery Daily Update. There's an insane number of great blogs out there - consider this work by Matthew Ball on the where audio is heading. And this is happening all over the internet. The era of talent needing permission from gatekeepers to publish and create is coming to an end, which is largely a great thing.
Twitter can be amazing or a cesspool, depending how it's used. If you filter effectively, it's an incredible resource. The smartest people in the world are all there, corresponding and sharing ideas. I would estimate 20-40% of what I consume is content my feed puts out there, either creating firsthand or sharing what they find interesting. Find your tribe, expand that tribe based on your interests, and you'll be surrounded with mentors everywhere. There has been no single platform more helpful to my career than Twitter; I've the privilege to follow and learn from amazing people who put all of their work out in the open. You can follow me here.
Books and podcasts are still the best sources of learning. I can't read books fast enough to cut down on my to-do book list, as recommendations are being added regularly (mostly from my Twitter feed.) Books that have been around for years have value (if nothing else) because they don't reflect any present day conventional wisdom. There's perspective, something the news offers nothing of. Books also provide an opportunity for solitude; I find myself thinking and reflecting more effectively when I'm reading a book. And I'm biased to the Kindle because of the note taking feature. If reading isn't your thing, try the audio/video format; audio books, YouTube, or podcasts. Patrick O'Shaughnessy's Invest Like the Best is one of my favorite 60-90 minutes every week. There is more value in those archives than in a business school degree. And it's available to anyone who is intellectually curious and loves to learn.
In looking back on the evolution of my media diet, I can tell you it's significantly better today. Maybe I'm not as dialed in day-by-day - but I think that's a great thing. As the old saying goes, 'we're informed about everything, yet know nothing.' So make sure not to sell yourself short with your own. Start reading. Learn a new skill. Set aside time to think. Start a blog. Create something interesting. The internet can teach you anything.
I'll ask again - is what you consume worth paying attention to? And what's the opportunity cost? What time is it taking up that doesn't allow you to spend time consuming the incredible stuff? You don't have to overhaul everything you do; but I'd argue we all can incrementally improve upon this.
As I always ask, please feel free to share or pass along anything great you come across. If you're interested in hearing specific recommendations on what I'm consuming each month, sign up for my newsletter here.
