#media imbalance

[tomorrowusa]

It's the media, stupid!

No, I'm not talking about specifics of various news media outlets or nitpicking about particular stories or attitudes. The problem is the vast overall state of the media environment in the United States.

Kate Riga is on target with her blog entry at TMP. (emphasis added)

Democrats Just Can’t Compete In This Media Environment

[T]here’s one leading factor that Democrats absolutely need to respond to as quickly as possible to avert this kind of electoral disaster in the future: the media environment unequivocally favors Republicans. We don’t have a ton of data yet, and much of it is partial. But we can already tell that Harris performed best — that is, underperformed least — in the battleground states. In the places where her campaign flooded the airwaves with her messaging, put her on TV shows and radio stations and in local newspapers, scattered driveways with information flyers, positioned her beside local celebrities, she improved on the repudiation of Democrats that infected nearly every other state. In other words: In the states where she set up a temporary but pervasive media apparatus, she negated some of the nationwide drag. That speaks to the reality that most of the country is awash in right-wing propaganda all the time. For the olds, it’s Fox News and conservative radio; for the youths, it’s the right-wing manosphere podcasts and streams that Trump so assiduously courted all campaign long (plus soothing TikToks promoting retrograde gender roles, evangelical values and distrust of government regulation — think the trad wives and crunchy so-far-left-they’ve-looped-around-to-the-right content — aimed specifically at women). It helps explain Biden’s prodigious unpopularity, despite passing a ton of legislation that not only polls well, but has meaningfully improved people’s lives. It helps elucidate the consistent claims that people don’t know what Harris stood for, before and after she released her policy proposals. It’s a playing field that Republicans not only dominate; Democrats don’t even compete. They still depend heavily on traditional media sources that simply don’t operate the same way these right-wing PR arms do. And we know that these forms of media are powerful; they reach tons of people, and are seen as useful enough pawns that Russia has invested in some of them. This isn’t a novel observation. The Obama alums who started Pod Save America and the greater Crooked Media family did so after Trump won in 2016 specifically to try to build up a Fox News of the left. There are structural problems with mimicking this right-wing content beat-for-beat. The Pod Save guys, while open about their political allegiances, often criticize the party and its politicians. It would be much more difficult to recreate the fawning adoration of Donald Trump Fox News and those podcasts produce for, say, Joe Biden on the left. It requires creativity and investment, but I think Democrats and those aligned with them could do it. Voters say over and over that they prefer Democratic policies — even Republicans often vote for them when they’re standalone ballot initiatives. It’ll require a cultivation of talent, a saturation of these spaces, finagling how to wrest back the counter-cultural bad boy persona from those who are espousing a way of life most people consider retrograde, confining, divisive and exhausting, not to mention solely in service of the plutocratic elites that run the party. Obama was such a revelation because he hijacked technology in a way that was new and exciting for people, and it helped him micro-target low propensity voters. Trump has since taken that mantle. In the two and then four years ahead, Democrats have to find a way to get in people’s eyes and ears, to figure out how to make an affirmative case in these spaces that people would likely respond to if they were exposed to it.

It's not just Fox News – which is bad enough by itself. There are the rightwing talk radio stations dating back to the 1980s. They joined Christian fundamentalist stations which had been pushing social conservative positions since the 1930s. And now there are countless bro types who talk rightwing shit for hours at a time on their podcasts.

Apart from Obama's skillful use of social media when it was still new, Democrats have fallen behind with digital media. Most recently, Elon Musk bought Twitter simply to use it as a propaganda machine. Facebook and its sister sites like Instagram use algorithms which promote rightwing talking points.

There had been attempts to set up liberal talk radio. But they have been sporadic and met with mixed success. Al Franken set up a liberal radio network called Air America Radio in 2004. But it had only modest reach on mostly medium powered stations and ultimately filed for bankruptcy during the Great Recession.

We need to increase our news and information footprint in a major way and on multiple media platforms – and fast. Obviously that takes money and business talent. So if you find yourself next to Mark Cuban, Bill Gates, or Michael Bloomberg on a flight or in an elevator, have your pitch ready. If that doesn't happen, we need to start raising money on our own. Nobody said that freedom is free.

[modernvintage]

Absolutely hate hate hate the way fandom works these days.

People have always overstepped, but the internet/social media make it so damn easy.

Cause I just watched the most bitchin’ press tour I’ve ever seen for a show with actual diversity of just about every variety with two phenomenal actors in the lead roles who worked their asses off for the past six months+ have all of the magic stripped away because people no longer know how to separate the art from the artists, the show from the promo, the fiction vs. the reality.

Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton served us for six months. They did their jobs and then some. They hand-crafted the pitch and delivered it on a silver platter, and you’re gonna turn your nose up at it now?! This was the best fan service I *ever* remember seeing!

They deserve better than this.

smh.

[daveyfvckingjacobs]

MORE LAST BINDING TWEETS PLEASE, I BEG OF YOU GOOD SIR. I MOST CONSUME LAST BINDING CONTENT LIKE IT IS WATER AND I AM A FISH WHO HAS BEEN ROASTING IN THE SUN FOR THE PAST 20 MINUTES. I AM A CLOCK AND IT IS MY BATTRIES I NEED IT🥺💖

I’d make a joke about clocks and oak hearts or water and swans but I’m not smart enough to make it work so just take the tweets

[thot-farm]

I don't have to say the trope. I love it. I need it. I breathe it.

[wavesoutbeingtossed]

The issue of power is so interesting (or something) to see because yes, from an economic perspective Taylor undoubtedly has more sway -- she's one of the most famous people on the planet, she's a billionaire, her every move is followed, etc. So I can almost sort of understand the concern, in another scenario, where some people may expect that she could crush her detractors (For instance, I'm thinking about how Harvey W. silenced his victims as a Hollywood mogul, or how corporate titans silence whistleblowers which I feel are analogies some people may turn to. Or maybe we've all just watched too much of the Roys on Succession.)

I said this in the tags of a post the other day I think, but I think some of the discourse is kind of conflating power with platform. And yes, Taylor undoubtedly has a bigger platform, again by virtue of her fame and position in the media/industry. But part of that is that she's visible in these areas, and her presumed subjects aren't, of their own choice. If any of these subjects ever chose to spoke out, or make art based on their experiences, or pursue opportunities in the media/public eye, they would absolutely be given a platform for it. (Going way back, think of how JM used the media to give his side of the story through his music and his interviews after their split. And I'd argue he was probably way more public/direct about it than she ever was.)

If any of these people decided they wanted their side of the story out there, it would be and it would absolutely be turned into a story. (And arguably that may already be starting but that's a whole other thing.) And this is just my opinion, but given that the subjects of these topics are often privileged white men, I'd argue that their sides tend to carry (more) weight regardless of their economic status in relation to her. If JM or JG or JA or HS wrote a book or a song or a script about their experiences, even only insinuating about her, it'd be the conversation. And not to be a cupcake about it, but the media seems to always want to find something to knock her down a peg about (which, sure, journalism's job is to hold people accountable, but that's not what always happens here and we know it), so they would absolutely give this the time of day, if they chose to put anything out there.

The thing is, I do see in a superficial way that there is there is a clear difference in their socioeconomic/celebrity status, and perhaps that's perceived as a power imbalance, but that's implying that she's dictating a whole host of entities out of her control, and I just don't think she holds the sway of those that some feel she does. Don't get me wrong, she's absurdly wealthy and has influence, but so do so many other people around her, including those who don't support her. (That's the wrong word for it, but I just mean, people who aren't in her circle/sympathetic to her.) And as I've posted about so so so many times before, THESE OTHER PEOPLE (men) ARE WEALTHY AND IN THE PUBLIC EYE TOO. They are all in careers that entail celebrity and involve their own influence in the media. These are not shrinking violets in private civil life who are like, grocery store checkout clerks. They're actors and musicians and media personalities who play the same game. And even the "poorest" of these subjects for the most part are millionaires who are far, far wealthier than any of us will ever be in our lifetimes. They may choose to stay off of social media or the press when it suits them, but they could absolutely make art or give interviews about their experiences and they would command their own kind of influence. (I'd also argue that they would be given a platform thanks to Taylor's platform, but that's another thing.)

I don't want to dismiss the influence of her wealth and stature in the entertainment industry, and I feel like that's kind of where the perceived "imbalance" comes from, but to be frank, I feel like if any of these other subjects spoke out, the media would be so quick to raise their stature in the press for the sake of clicks/controversy/what have you. Critics claim that Taylor can crush any story or person who goes against her, but I think given the breadth of stories out there about her at any given time (the NYT op ed, the jet stuff, the DM stuff, etc.) I don't think that's true; I think the publicity/clicks outlets get for covering stuff, even if salacious, outweighs any concerns over upsetting her or burning bridges. (Not saying that may have not happened, but... I think it would be more obvious if it were a regular occurrence these days.) If anything, 2016 through rep kinda proves that she doesn't have the "control" of the media that some claim she does.

But most importantly, THE ALBUM ISN'T OUT YET. WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THE LYRICS ARE. Taylor gets accused of writing diss tracks, but she rarely does, and I don't think she's written an outright callout song since her Fearless/Speak Now days when she was a teenager/very young adult. Just about everything since Red on has been about her own feelings, experiences, etc. and not a literal "you did x and y and z and you're stupid and i hate you" song. She's not calling people out by name, and truly only chronically online fans are going to deduce who songs are about; five years from now, people discovering the music will just know they're bops (or depressingly sad breakup songs, as the case may be).

I don't know where I'm going with this, i'm talking in circles, it's just interesting how things are being interpreted or assumed so far. I fully acknowledge I'm a cupcake so I'm generally not going to jump to the worst conclusion about Taylor, but there's also curious sociological/gender stuff happening in these conversations. I absolutely think that if the roles were reversed and her exes were billionaire household names and she was an indie artist, nobody would ever talk about power dynamics. I think it's all moot because like so many people have said, I don't think the album is going to be what some think it's going to be, and I think it's going to be way more introspective/vulnerable/dark than what they assume a breakup album is going to be, though obviously I don't know anymore than they do. It's just funny because you never hear about this with other people. (Like, was there a big fuss when Kelly Clarkson wrote a breakup album about her ex-husband? I know she's not as wealthy as Taylor and her ex was probably wealthier than Taylor's exes, but she's someone with sway in the industry and is on TV everyday, but everyone kind of said "lol her ex was a jackass wow she writes sad banger ballads" and moved on.)

Anyway I don't want to start shit or anything, but I'm just giving my two cents about my observations of the whole media landscape stuff.

[yuriveteran]

every time you think i’ve hit rock bottom fr i’ll think of smth else to make it worse(im getting into star wars)

[liaisun]

some people ask for toxic yuri and then when you put the poison under their nose they're like wtf this could kill somebody

[thirteenemeraldcats]

10 characters from 10 fandoms!

tagged by @abubblingcandle and @kvetchinglyneurotic who are both so ridiculously talented as writers and SO ridiculously lovely as people that i am forever building metaphorical statues in their honour and tossing roses at their feet as they bow on the stage

Jamie Tartt (Ted Lasso)

Dick Grayson (DC)

Neal Caffrey (White Collar)

Prince Zuko (ATLA)

Peter Parker (Marvel Comics)

Morpheus/Dream of the Endless (The Sandman)

Buffy Summers (BTVS)

Spock (Star Trek)

Westley (The Princess Bride)

Donna Noble (Doctor Who)

I HAVE NO IDEA WHO HASN'T BEEN TAGGED!! (AGAIN!!) going to boop with no pressure @nativestarwrites @sighonaraa @fanficfanattic @orbitalpirate @anguishmacgyver @jamiepoptart

[swampthing07]

I can outrageously misunderstand things in ways you could never imagine

[sadistic-softie]

DINNER!

P-P-P-P-Put him in a rot cage! Scumbag!Eat shit bitch! You look fuc-king divií̷̹̌̆n̷̫̰͊͝e̸̢̦̝̻̥͓̳͛̾̋ͅ!

Put him in a hard place! I scratch your back! In re-turn, you peel off mḭ̸̹̒͗͗̅̕͝n̸͉̳͊̒͗̾͑̕͠ͅe̷̢̟͓̗̲̥͂̌͘!

I-I-I-I spit teeth on your grave! You just talk shit online! I-I-I-I.C.U on payday! Try to grow a spine!

S-S-S-S-Sycophant cyclical hyper-digital! Spiders shooting out of your guts! Apartment typical! A part of you that re-fuses not to suck!

I bet you fe-el just gre̴̮̞̖̼̮͚͂̔̎͘͝͠á̵̼̘̼̍́t̵̨̤̦͓͙̍ͅ! Well I feel sublḯ̴͈͈̈́m̶͕͊͠e̶͕̳͈̅̐! Rusted fingers through the grate! Telling me you’re all mine!

Y-Y-Y-Your head is on my hotplate!! P-Paired with a glass of wine-wine-wine!! In water up to your neckk!! You’re running out of time!!

I-I-I guess I got my hopes up I'm just his cash-to-make

Bo-Bo-Born inside a test tube I-broke-the-glass and ran away

Eat. it. it. is. good-for-you I assure you that there's more com-ing your way! Nothing much left to do except fuck it up in every sin-gle way!

I hope you like it! I put my heart inside it! No mat-ter what we do we all end up on someone elses plate!

(̶I̷’̴m̸ ̶a̷t̷ ̸a̸ ̵c̷a̵n̶y̶o̶n̶ ̵w̸i̵t̵h̸ ̶m̷y̴ ̴a̶s̶s̶ ̶a̴n̵d̷ ̷d̸i̴c̸k̸ ̵o̷u̵t̶)̶

[mrgaretcarter]

I need a pretty significant degree of commonality (both subjective and objective) between characters to ship them and I think that's why it's so hard to find f/f ships that draw me in. It's like people making media want to create the polarity that would usually be there through gender by making these women so starkly different that I just become unable to connect.

[local-redhead-bookworm]

If I see one more person say that Hector deserved or wanted what Lenore did to him, I’m going to steal every left shoe in their house

[magicalgirlagency]

They're just playing pretend, right? Certainly Toei wouldn't commit an even deadlier sin than H*gtto did, RIGHT?!

RIGHT?!?!?

HiroPre's 40th Ep. (November 12th): Great Friends ❤ Eru-chan's Wedding ⭐

Synopsis: Suddenly, Eru-chan says: "I wanna marry Tsubasa!", so the others decide to organize a "pretend wedding" for her. But even after the play is over, Eru won't let go of Tsubasa's hand.

Look, I know what "playing pretend" is, but considering what happened 5 years ago, I cannot help but feel scared for how things will eventually turn out.

If what I think is happening IS happening...

...it better not be.

[oh-hush-its-perfect]

some people will be like, "speculating about taylor swift's sexuality is weird. she's obviously straight."

[twistedappletree]

Writing Lan Sizhui and Jin Ling fighting alongside each other is everything oh my god this is SO fun??????

power couple honestlyyyy 💞⚔️✨

[dirty-urie]

hi! not original anon about Mike BUT I do love him. I’ve spoken to Mike a few times for a while and he seems to be a really good dude. I’m not inclined to share exactly what Mike said, but it sounds like he came into Brendon’s life when Brendon really needed it, and helped Brendon sort of see things differently, and he’s happy now. And for various reasons, I don’t think Mike has taken advantage of Brendon at all.

Well then that’s phenomenal! I’m glad! This could also be Mike Viola ghostwriting but I’ll choose to believe it isn’t 😂 look, I really don’t mean any harm whatsoever to Mike, nor do I care that much (only because it’s none of my business). My other answer to why I dislike him was going to be “he doesn’t even play the viola,” but I only gave a more serious answer to assuage anyone’s fears that my distaste was rooted in anything worse than personal preference. He certainly doesn’t kick puppies or hate homeless people or anything to my knowledge. At the end of the day, it’s not something that affects me, and I do support anything that’s ultimately beneficial for everyone involved. I do appreciate you offering your perspective and also for being nice about it 😅