The Inkstained Mind: Turn on the TV and put on your blinkers

26 Feb 2013

Turn on the TV and put on your blinkers

I get the feeling that Conan O'Brien is still upset with Big Media.

He seems to enjoy holding a mirror up to the duplicitous "channeling" of society's (precious little) thinking process. I've pointed this out before; I'll say it again: Just like in politics, we have an "illusion of choice" in news sources.

You can flip channels all you want - and you'll still hear the same point-of-view masquerading as the latest news.

The following SIX media behemoths control virtually all the news & entertainment (including newspapers, magazines, music, TV shows, etc.) on TV and in print:
- News Corporation
- Time Warner
- CBS
- GE/NBC Universal
- Disney-ABC
- Viacom

If you want unbiased opinion -- train yourself to distinguish between meaningless rhetoric and credible facts; look for the agenda/cause behind the symptom being reported (there is almost inevitably one) -- and then come up with your own opinion. Also never ever be too obstinate, afraid or embarrassed to alter your point-of-view if and when new facts come to light.

Conan O'Brien in Feb, 2013...

Conan O'Brien in Nov, 2011...

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WHAT IS ADVERTISING?

It's often called the world's second oldest profession.

But while the scope of the oldest one has changed little over time, the evolution in the way we communicate has had profound impact on Advertising.

In the ancient and medieval world, Advertising meant word-of-mouth. In the 1500s with the development of printing it became a 'paid public notice', disseminating the message to many. And it had Copy & Art.

Then came radio, TV, computer, cable TV, Internet, mobile phones, Internet on mobile, and it's still not done... Even what we perceive as 'change' is changing. Continuously.

So what is Advertising today?

Honestly, I don't know.

But I do know from a dozen years evolving with the business, that Advertising is most valued when it can make a tangible difference for the advertiser.

That has not changed. And probably won't.

UPDATE: Nothing's changed. But in a way, everything has.

As you see, my focus has shifted - evolved in a way - to a larger canvas. The shift or evolution was gradual, and may be have been discernable to the more observant reader.

While I was delving into the influence of media in society to better understand how perceptions are created, evolved and disseminated, I chanced upon a thread of knowledge that I frankly never knew existed.

My conclusion is that a deep pool of awareness and consciouness exists beyond the shallow narcissistic boundaries created by the convention view of social media and the Internet.

My aim is to send my readers down any path that can lead to this quenching pool.