alt Hacker NewsI have this debate with people about news and podcasts sometimes (news was one of the examples in TFA). People say they are doing it to remain informed, and it’s a high-value activity, but I argue it’s mostly entertainment since it rarely affects any decision-making.
This is not a hardline position, but I’m surprised at how vehemently people insist that their news habit has benefits beyond entertainment.
(To be clear, I have nothing against entertainment.)
Replies
johnnyo • last Monday at 2:59 AM
News consumption impacts political decision making, like who I want to support or oppose in local, state, and national elections.
That seems a pretty high impact decision we want all the members of our society to be making on a regular basis.
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I agree, but also the context matters. Reading news about sports is basically always entertainment, with an exception of maybe betting, to make better bets. Reading news about housing market can get me in a better position to buy my next home for cheaper, or strenghten my negotiation position.