The un-Walter Cronkiting of American politics
I read an excellent article in Forbes this afternoon by Peter Huber, senior fellow of the Manhattan Institute and coauthor of The Bottomless Well.
The piece, entitled Cronkite vs. the Web takes a look at the role of the web in political elections:
That's the danger of echo chambers. Perhaps it's best for blog readers that they read a number of blogs and other sites that do not necessarily agree with their viewpoint. That way, one can get a better understanding of a variety of opinions, not just the ones that agree with one's own.
The piece, entitled Cronkite vs. the Web takes a look at the role of the web in political elections:....the more polarized and divided the national election, the worse the dot-com candidates will ultimately serve the parties that they crash and capture. The Web doesn't bridge divisions; it multiplies and sharpens them. It doesn't build consensus or national coalitions; it grows factions. Truth be told, the Web doesn't network people at all--it lets them network themselves, which is quite different. The Web is the place where people can roll their own, and given that freedom, people tend to coalesce in relatively small, insular groups.
The real genius of the Web, in short, is that it lets people disconnect. That's why it has obliterated the old media. During the Tet Offensive of the Vietnam War, President Lyndon Johnson is reported to have said, "If I've lost Cronkite, I've lost Middle America." Nobody would ever say that about anything posted on a cronkite.com or a CronkiteTube. There are too many celebrity sites, scattered all over the digital landscape, and they're all saying different things.
The un-Walter Cronkiting of American politics of course dismays his would-be heirs, but their opinions hardly matter anymore, and they will have all but disappeared from view four years from now. Few of them will be missed, because America, it turns out, doesn't much trust them. Plummeting audiences for network news have made that clear. The challenge now is to get disconnected people to accept how little they can trust themselves and their closest friends. People who live overwired lives--which means the young, especially--may easily suppose that they have a very good picture of what all the rest of America is thinking. Quite a few of them are going to find out otherwise in a few weeks...
That's the danger of echo chambers. Perhaps it's best for blog readers that they read a number of blogs and other sites that do not necessarily agree with their viewpoint. That way, one can get a better understanding of a variety of opinions, not just the ones that agree with one's own.
posted by Helen at 4:50 PM
23 Comments:
The toe-curl factor is too great when I attempt to read "blogs and other sites" that "do not necessarily agree with [my] viewpoint." I think they have bad ideas; they think I'm a bad person. There's only so much time in a day. To use it reading their predictable drivel seems a pointless waste of time.
I've encountered this argument in various forms, but haven't found it to be persuasive. Perhaps this is because I use the web to find the most credible sources that I can relevant to issues that concern me.
These individuals and institutions are often ignored by the MSM as they tend not to frame their arguments in the terms of a morality drama.
So rather than polarizing my views, I think that the internet has enabled me to recognize that those whom I disagree with are usually acting in good faith - that we share an 'honest disagreement'.
I think bloggers and those that read them vastly overestimate the influence of blogs. I'd say that YouTube has more influence than anything, with the key being the lack of self-appointed gate keepers.
So in 8 weeks we will hear ...
"I don't understand how he could have won, nobody on my friends list voted for him."
The only caveat I would add is message boards where the two sides will often meet. If there are good moderators it can be helpful.
I really agree with this article - unfortunately people tend to hang out with others like themselves and read blogs that reinforce their opinions, so they think everybody is just like them. Nope. For example, Palin has energized the conservative base, and has millions of people thinking, "finally, someone just like ordinary Americans that I can relate to!" That is partially true, there are indeed millions of pro-family second-ammendment enthusiasts in this country. But you know, this is a big country, and there are also millions of people of color, more than a few atheists/agnostics, millions of pro-choice voters too. And many of them are packed together in coastal cities with like-minded people and really do consider themselves "ordinary Americans." And I think they have every right to consider themselves as such.
I do try to read a variety of political blogs, some liberal in bent, and I don't think all liberals are monsters - many are reasonable, and have at least some logic to how they arrive at their opinions. In fact, the extremes of both ends of the idealogical spectrum are nut-jobs. I get depressed by how much each group tends to exaggerate the worst qualities of their opponents, repeating half-truths endlessly until they become completely distorted. No one even wants to consider the other side to the story. It requires some patience to read outside your comfort zone, but realizing that those with different opinions are just different, as opposed to evil, ultimately helps me relax!
Ah, but what a beautiful Mrs. (?) un-Walter Cronkiting of American politics I have right here. Lord knows I enjoy coming here. The scenery isn't bad either. I suppose I might be subject to some prejudice. I love natively true double entendres dearly, as well. Oops, sorry doc, back to the couch. Uhrhumm, but of course, the web is a beautiful thing, I mean. And, uhm, it is always good to see the ladies getting it. There we go.
I read enough blogs whose viewpoints differ from my own, enough so that I know this country is in very bad shape.
Good article. It's true that the Internet can bring people with very different opinions together. But it does seem that people mostly read writers who agree with them.
On the other hand, is there really anybody who doesn't know this? Both of our past elections were pretty close races. Whoever you are, if you keep up with the news at all you know that about half of the people who voted disagreed with your choice. You might not meet those people for drinks after work, or read their blogs, but you know they're out there.
Yes Dr. Helen, you're absolutely correct: we should read other opinions and come to a consensus. I can just see this applied to other areas of life. For example:
Christians should stop concentrating on the bible and begin to weigh the opinions of the Satanic bible: the Koran. Perhaps we could even consider on equal footing to religion of Moloch: how can we demean the holy opinions of all his worshipers down at all his sanctuaries: the local Planned Parenthood abortion clinic.
And yes, let the Jews consider the possible truthfulness, the holiness, of Mein Kampf instead of just concentrating on the Torah. There just has to be balance here.
Let us pause to consider the merits of the flat earth theory and weigh them against ours of the round earth: perhaps we can come to some sort of consensus: The earth is neither flat nor round but a flattened oval with sharp drop-offs at the sides.
We already have a large body of people who have reached such a consensus with the left: they are called RINOs. And you know what, for some reason the left doesn't move the other way: it just keeps on expecting us to unidirectionally compromise; in fact, for every compromise RINOs make, the left just gets its programs and the right gets what? A leftist program managed by Republicans.
NJArtist,
The point of my post was not to come to a different viewpoint or concensus than one's own. It was to realize that there are other opinions out there so that you don't get in a mindset that you think yours is the only one that others agree with. That is part of the problem with many on the left, they think their opinion is the common one of most Americans, and then they are shocked when they find out differently. I think this is what Huber was trying to point out in his article. That discrete websites and blogs on the web where everyone more or less agrees, gives the false impression that your view is the one that other Americans hold, when indeed, they do not. Neither he (nor I)said that one should change their views based on other people's opinions. He is just saying not to be surprised when other people vote in a way that is different from how you think they will. He is especially talking, I think, to young people who think that their Facebook and MySpace buddies who are all pulling for the left are not reflective of all Americans at large.
In my opinion, if nothing else, it's important to know other points of view and learn how other people think, in order to understand how to build a strategy to persuade others to begin to think differently or at least become more skeptical.
Good thing to keep in mind when cruising blogs is they're mostly a single person. Mostly. Even when not, they tend to be self-uniform.
I cruise a wide variety, in and out of the country. They don't actually give you a sense of what populations in those places feel, but add to the picture you get balancing them with events.
I think joe is also very correct. Many bloggers overrate their effects and there's always the danger of letting ones 'celebrity' become the driving force.
Look at the tendency for talking heads on blogs right now. Same as talking heads on TV. Gimme thoughts and text, I know it's only a damned camera they're staring at and not making some personal connection with me.
Most people I know use the internet for shopping, even now. They do not know who pajamas media is, huffington post, media matters, blogger.com, on and on.
I did not realize Cronkite was so left leaning in the days he was "the most trusted man in america". The MSM has always been left leaning. They just never said so, and I guess they were never questioned. If so, the opposing view didn't get much air play, or exposure in print.
Looking at the people I work with, few, if any, read political/social critic blogs. Plenty read sports blogs.
I check out a few liberal blogs ever so often to see what bizarre thought processes are going on at the moment. Leaving a comment at such blogs is an exercise in futility as no reasonable discussion will ensue. You get one of the outcomes of Huber points out, people in a "relatively small, insular" group that viciously attack any idea outside their accepted beliefs and the person stating that idea.
The idea that we are all in this together and need to have at least some level of unity seems to be dying.
I do find it interesting that up here in Canada it seems that we're a bit behind on the "un-Cronkiting" of news. There are a few political blogs that I've found up here but they don't seem to have that much influence. I think many Canadians are still quite content to get their coverage of our current election campaign from our version of "MSM." I've found the coverage on CBC (our national network) to be basically fair. I'm sure most people there lean to the left but even as a Conservative voter I haven't found that they've treated our political right wing unfairly.
Saw a CBS News article linked by Drudge, written by John Friedman. Sort of a take off on an old humor statement by Bill Cosby on kids, "I brought you into this world, I can take you out". The target, of course, is Sarah Palin. It reminds me of a statement made earlier by another MSM self important type who stated "It isn't news unless we say it is news." or similar. That statement may have been about the Edwards affair. I don't remember that quote exactly. It is nicely buried now, though. Funny how it (Edwards' affair) gave the Enquirer the credibility to now go after Palin. I guess Edwards was a sacrificial lamb.
I do not read newspapers, I do not watch MSM cable or broadcast news, save Fox, and Glenn Beck on CNN. I do not read magazines, except on line, or out of boredom when in the waiting room of the doctor's office. Truth and / or fact seems always to be the casualty. Many on the side of the left have attacked Drudge. Seems all he does, however, is post links to articles written elsewhere, from almost everywhere. If he is guilty of anything, he's guilty of compiling information on a daily basis that I, as an individual, simply don't have time to seek out myself.
MSM and the left in general are so wacked out, in my view, that it has become sad to watch. It's not funny anymore, although I have had a lot of laughs over it in the past. It's pitiful.
One would think, dadvocate, that what happened on September 11, 2001 would have united us. Actually, the world. People who died that day, people working in the towers, were from around the world. Companies from around the world had offices in the towers. After all, it was the world trade center. The list of companies (and by that list, countries) affected is probably still available on line.
Seems we have reached a place where even a common enemy no longer brings us together as a nation.
A common enemy does bring us together as a nation ... as long as the common enemy remains a threat. Though terrorism is still absolutely something we have to deal with and plan for, Al-Qaeda has largely left us alone since 9/11.
The real challenge is finding ways of finding common ground when there's no "them" to remind us that we're "us."
On another note, what the heck is the MSM?
Cinderkeys, have you given any thought as to why Al Qaeda has "left us alone" since 9/11?
MSM is the "main stream media". Broadcast news, cable news, radio, and newspapers / magazines. In other words, not the Internet blogs and pundits, or most of the radio talk show hosts. There are those who may disagree with me concerning radio talk show hosts being main stream media. The point is arguable, though.
Have I given any thought to why Al-Qaeda has left us alone (on our own soil, at least)? Sure. Not sure what that has to do with MSM vs. bloggers, though ...
Thanks for the explanation re MSM. That was driving me nuts. :)
Well..... alrighty then.
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