Connect the Dots…LaLaLa

Ladies and gentlemen I present to you Andrew Callaghan, the new face of the news. Yep, move over Lester Holt, Anderson Cooper, Norah O'Donnell, and make room, because this 25-year old (who, btw could pass for 17) is connecting to an audience you never, ever will. He wouldn’t be caught dead on television, no sir, and I’d bet the farm that most of you (any?) have never heard of the young lad, but trust me, he’s a legit star. This phenom began his career interviewing drunk people on Bourbon Street in New Orleans for an Instagram show called Quarter Confessions. His work now lives where the cool, coveted eyeballs reside, primarily on YouTube and IG. He has nearly 2.5 million subscribers (combined)and his news videos routinely score views in the multi-millions. He’s reported from the scene of almost every major story in the past few years, including the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, and most recently, the war in Ukraine. And make no mistake, Andrew regards what he’s doing as much more than a passing fad or way to avoid getting a real job, telling Nieman Lab’s Theo Schear that he believes people like him will gradually replace the traditional pillars of journalism. Hmmm. A strange rumbling in the distance. Pretty sure it was the simultaneous rolling over of Murrow, Cronkite, Huntley, and Brinkley. More on Andrew in a minute, but let’s move on.

We Interrupt This Story…

I like to connect the dots…find patterns among disparate thoughts or ideas in search of a broader meaning or trend. You might call it daydreaming but I’ve convinced myself it’s a meaningful brain exercise kinda like doing the Wednesday NYT Crossword. Humor me. This week, besides the impressive exploits of young Andrew, a few other things caught my attention, none of which are overtly related, yet seem to be a part of the same developing landscape. For example: There were several stories about the major changes coming to/arriving at Facebook and Instagram. Axios.com went so far as to call what’s happening the “sunset of the social network.” Wow. The upshot of it all is that both of those platforms are trying to become much more like TikTok, which is seemingly taking over the world with an algorithm that feeds you random videos based on their popularity Worldwide - not the stuff bubbling to the surface within your own small social circle. TikTok doesn’t give a damn about your sick pet, memory of your trip to St. Barts from five years ago, or the fact that today is your two-year friendship anniversary with Susie. No sir, their algorithm - and soon Facebook’s and Instagram’s - uses the opinions of millions of strangers around the world to decide what inane, non-contextual videos you will see. Or as Axios described it…

“…a lot like a mutant TV with an infinite number of context-free channels that flash in and out of focus at high speed.”

In a related move, Facebook also announced this week that, in the U.S., they’ll no longer pay select news organizations like NBC, Wall Street Journal, and Buzzfeed to post headlines through their News Tab program. The company’s statement said…

…(most people) “do not come to Facebook for news, and as a business it doesn’t make sense to over invest in areas that don’t align with user preferences.”

Huh. Their statement seems in conflict with a Pew Research study last year which showed 36% of Americans do, in fact, get their news from Facebook and a whopping 53% rely significantly on social media overall to to stay informed. Curious.

Building the Echo Chamber?

So why the changes? Well, that question leads us to another dot in the matrix. As the Washington Post pointed out this week, younger users are dividing their loyalties. They’re flocking to TikTok for mindless entertainment but moving to smaller, less known social platforms for their connections and interactions. The lure of places like Discord, Geneva, and Telegram is, largely, the ability to choose and interact with only those you feel comfortable with. Like-minded people who share interests and interpret issues and events the way you do. In other words, conflict free engagement and reinforcement of what I (meaning they) believe.

Three More Dots…

• According to Pew Research, 57% of Americans today don’t know most of their neighbors and almost never talk to the ones they do. That number climbs to 72% for people 30-49 years old and 78% among those 18-29. In other words, we’re becoming increasingly isolated, choosing to associate with just a select few. Isolation.
• And then there’s this. Church attendance is in free-fall, and while the pandemic certainly didn’t help, the trend predates it. In 2020, less than half of all Americans said they belonged to a church, down from 70% in 1999. And, the number of American adults who identify themselves as Christians has dropped 12 points in the last decade alone. Full disclosure - we are not church goers but have always recognized the social value of what the activity represents: At the very least, it’s the intermingling of people with a strong central belief that not only connects them, but also allows for the exchange of ideas and values that may differ one to the other. It’s an activity that has the potential to broaden our perspectives and bring tolerance and acceptance to things we may not understand. The loss of this institution means more isolation.
• And finally, ABC News President Kimberly Godwin, appearing on Peter Kafka’s Recode Podcast recently, admitted the obvious, that broadcast news is now a service strictly for those 60-years old and above and new venues need to be created to reach those younger. Hello again, Andrew Callaghan.

So What Does it All Mean?

We have a society rapidly moving towards a sort of cocooning or isolation we’ve never really experienced before…and yes, the pandemic added energy to the trend, but it’s been going on for much longer. Individuals choosing to limit exposure to only those who share specific beliefs, orientations, or interests. Our neighborhoods are a collection of silos with nary a glance paid on those rare occasions where human contact actually occurs.

Many of our institutions - churches, block parties, bowling leagues, even fraternal organizations like the Masons or Elks, are fading into extinction, leaving us with scarce opportunities for any real mind-expanding interactions.

We have a whole generation-plus being given, and happily consuming, news without context or perspective. Raw events and reactions, not so much reported, but put out there and open to whatever self-interpretation the isolated end user provides. As Andrew Callaghan explains:

“I pretty much create news content for the disengaged. That’s the achievement. People who don’t watch the news watch me. People that do watch the news don’t watch me.”

When you look through the viewer comments attached to his reports you find it’s that lack of any real context in his reporting they’re most attracted to. As one viewer put it:

“he just shows you what’s going on and interviews the people that are there.”

No fear of being challenged by facts. Just observing and reacting without context. Vice News made this sort of experiential, immersive - 21st century version of Walter Cronkite’s You Are There - reporting famous years ago but with one very big difference. They almost always surrounded the immersion with at least a few facts that provided a semblance of context and perspective, albeit shrouded in their own point of view. But, at the very least, there was something more than loose, floating info particles pumped into the ether that require full assembly by the consumer. It’s asking a lot and requires an education and critical thought process that, well, seems to be in fairly short supply. Believe me, I am a total fan of disruption, but it can’t be without purpose. Upsetting the apple cart for no reason just leaves a mess…and a mess we now have.

So…

Is it any wonder we are where we are? And, even more frightening, where the hell are we going to end up? We have Isolation. Rigid, unbending opinion. Absence of perspective and context in reporting of current events and issues. And, all of it promotes an alarming and growing lack of basic understanding and tolerance that provokes fearful actions and reactions.

I feel guilty constantly banging this drum without the benefit of a ready solution but I keep hoping the pestering will yield a spark of an idea. Unable to find the silver bullet in my own deliberation this week, I remembered that way back when, the FCC used to require television stations, maybe radio too, to have regular meetings with community groups of all shapes and sizes to hear their issues and concerns. Painful though it was, it forced media companies to open the doors of the echo chamber in which they largely resided and get a mind expanding dose of reality. And, as one who participated in more than a couple of those gatherings, reality usually came in the form of a cold, hard slap in the face, which I think validated their existence. Those meetings are no longer required, but I think we need them now more than ever. If I was the chair of the FCC (god forbid) I would require any entity under my jurisdiction to prove their connection with all sectors of the audience - young, old, in between, minorities, majorities, men, women, boys, and girls. I would mandate listening and responding and if you didn’t comply you simply wouldn’t be allowed to play the game.

I’m pretty sure this isn’t going to happen so, once again, we’re left with this familiar plea. Please, see the rapidly growing forest and not just the trees. Recognize the Black Swan instead of ignoring its presence. Declare war on isolationism, reporting that lacks context and perspective, and don’t give up on reaching the disengaged even if it means breaking the mold and ditching the norm. No sacred cows. No reverence paid to past practices. Just a dedication to the delivery of Truth in whatever means necessary. Disruption with foundation and purpose. Just think about it if you would… please.