Category Archives: Media & Culture

Panhandling

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panhandlerI suspect many people feel awkward when they find themselves stopped a few feet from a — what is the correct term — panhandler? Beggar seems harsh. Let’s go with panhandler. As you coast up the exit ramp you silently hope you make the light or get stuck far enough down the ramp to avoid having to engage with the man/woman. (“Can you help a brother out?”)

In my experience, most panhandlers let their handmade cardboard sign communicate their message/plea. In cities, however, I gather they can be more aggressive. Is this encounter as awkward for the “asker” as the “askee?”

I frequently make a donation, not always. But when I find myself stopped a few feet away, I usually smile and make a little chit-chat, even when I don’t give money. And while I’m sure they’d rather have a fiver, most smile back and seem to appreciate the interaction (my imagination? phony?).

It would be easy to become invisible to the hundreds of drivers that pass each day. Perhaps you’d rather hear “Get a job!” than endure that strained silence.

TV is for old people

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“The median age of a broadcast or cable television viewer during the 2013-2014 TV season was 44.4 years old, a 6 percent increase in age from four years earlier. Audiences for the major broadcast network shows are much older and aging even faster, with a median age of 53.9 years old, up 7 percent from four years ago. The median age of viewers who watch CBS is 58.7 years old. Fox has the youngest broadcast audience, with a median age of 47.8 years. Live television viewing (is) down 13 percent for all ages except for viewers 55 years and older.”

Source: Research by media analyst Michael Nathanson of Moffett Nathanson Research. (WashingtonPost.com)

The average American life, in one chart

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The kids at Vox have yet to disappoint with their graphics. Take a look at this chart.

  • The average American man lives to about 76, and the average woman until 81. In that lifespan, the average person will spend more than five decades going to school and working — with just two to three decades left over for being a toddler and retiree.
  • Americans are getting married later in life. The typical man got married at 28 in 2011, up from 22 in 1960. [I was 30 when I got married. A good decision]
  • The average length of a US marriage that ends in divorce is about seven years. [As in 7 Year Itch]
  • In 1991 and 1993, the average retirement age was 57. In 2014, that rose to 62.

Why do they skip past the commercials?

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Veteran US journalist Bob Garfield has been writing about “media chaos” for while and paints a gloomy picture for journalists, media companies and advertising agencies.

“Why do they they skip past the commercials? For the same reason he puts spam filters on his computer and refuses to click on any banner ad ever for any reason at any time,” he said. “Advertising people like to give trophies to one another for their creative genius and parade like Tony the Tiger down Madison Avenue every Fall during ad week. But if they think people love their ads they are sorely, tragically mistaken.

“For more than three centuries consumers have put up with ads. Some ads are funny and clever and some even worm their way into our heads and popular culture. But they are and have always been a nuisance. To most people all advertising is spam. The proof being that the moment technology afforded us the ability to skip them, skip them we have.”

“So if you were looking forward to a great career in media and marketing it might be a good idea to remove your belt and shoelaces. […] Asked about the future for a 30-something journalist, he said: “You are fucked,” adding that a journalist friend with years of experience now waters plants in offices for a living.

I wanna be a DJ or a cowboy

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You know how when you cut down the rain forest you destroy the natural habitat of some exotic wild animals and they become extinct? Say goodbye the Spotted American DJ. It’s all there in an excellent (and depressing) story by Clay Barbour in The Virginian-Pilot:

10 companies control two-thirds of the country’s listeners and ad revenue; two of them – Clear Channel and Infinity Broadcasting – own more than 40 percent of all stations.

Edison Research found that as many as 75 percent of 12- to 24-year-olds were listening to online radio, with nearly half of them using their phones to do so while in the car. Essentially, if you are younger than a certain age, you don’t listen to terrestrial radio anymore.

Many of you have ready my nostalgic ramblings about my dozen years as a small town radio DJ in the 70s. (sigh) Really glad I got to ride the range before all the media sod busters arrived.

What if you could be remembered forever?

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“What if all the important events, adventures and thoughts in your life would be accessible to future generations, who never met the real you? Eterni.me collects almost everything that you create during your lifetime, and processes this huge amount of information using complex Artificial Intelligence algorithms. Then it generates a virtual YOU, an avatar that emulates your personality and can interact with, and offer information and advice to your family and friends, even after you pass away.”

I heard about this service from a segment of the On the Media podcast (link below). Evan Carroll is co-author of “Your Digital Afterlife.” I signed up for the service, which doesn’t seem to have launched yet.