Welcome to The Internet: Where music's free and the record labels don't matter

I bought a CD (an actual CD, from an actual store!) the other night for the first time in forever. You're probably wondering why I bothered expending time and money when just about every CD imaginable is available for free on the internet. The CD in question is Taylor Swift's "1989," which, in a brilliant yet controversial move, she chose to keep from Spotify, Pandora, and the like. Taylor put it this way, and I agree wholeheartedly: "Music is art, and art is important and rare. Important, rare things are valuable. Valuable things should be paid for. It's my opinion that music should not be free, and my prediction is that individual artists and their labels will someday decide what an album's price point is. I hope they don't underestimate themselves or undervalue their art." People can say what they want about her decision, but I respect her not only as a musician but also as a businesswoman. I was one of over 1 million people who bought the album in its first week of release. I see you, Tay.

Not only does the internet make (most) music free, it also makes it a whole lot easier to be discovered. Just look at the infamous Justin Bieber! Love him or hate him, the Canadian native has been wildly successful and has YouTube to thank! Justin was discovered as a child by Usher through videos he posted to his YouTube channel. 

Although I don't consider myself a "belieber," I am amazed and impressed by the relative ease with which Justin rose to stardom. It's as though the internet has provided the average Joe with a chance at fame, and that's something I can get behind. 

This just in: Everyone has an Opinion!

In this day and age, just about everyone has a favorite news channel. Mine happens to be Fox News. I'll be totally honest: while I do watch Fox News to learn about what's going on in the world, I also watch it because I get to hear the news filtered through a Republican point of view. I have friends and family members who think that Fox News is a total waste of time and therefore choose to watch CNN and/or MSNBC. Whether they know it or not, they enjoy these channels because they want their news put through a liberal filter!


Two news anchors I've enjoyed listening to are Bill O'reilly and Sean Hannity. While each obviously maintains his own set of conservative viewpoints, I'd argue that each also strives to invite guests who have opposing viewpoints (if not to represent both sides, then definitely to make the other side look bad). The great thing about America is that we are free to have our own opinions and say (within reason) pretty much whatever the heck we want!

But what happens when we grow tired of the filter?


Don't get me wrong; I enjoy a good debate as much as the next girl! But sometimes I find myself wanting a break from the arguments and the opinions and the filters and I just want to hear the news. I know, shocking! The sad truth is that there are approximately zero places I can go to hear the news and only the news.

Everyone has an opinion, even and especially journalists! I do, however, feel that as a journalist (which I aspire to be someday) you owe it to your viewers to set aside your feelings and opinions and just present something that this culture is starving for: the truth.

A Harsh Reality

Reality TV: some people love it; some people hate it. I happen to love it and hate it. I have fond memories of watching shows like American Idol and The Amazing Race with my family. Looking back on those middle school nights, I have come to the conclusion that those shows taught me the following:

• Ordinary Americans can lead extraordinary lives. It's possible to go from rags to riches.
• People who follow their dreams no matter the cost are incredibly beautiful. 
• Just about anything is possible with a little luck and a lot of persistence. 

I remember being intrigued by the participants on the shows; I loved learning their stories and as a viewer, becoming a part of their stories. I would text in to vote for my favorite contestants on American Idol, and I would root for my favorite Amazing Race duo as they completed a challenge in a faraway land. Their courage inspired me; I remember thinking "if they can do it, so can I." 

Enter stage left: Snooki, the Kardashians, and the Real Housewives. Now instead of joining average people in the pursuit of their dreams and their race around the world, we are subjected to the dramatized lives of celebrity wannabes. When was the last time you watched a bunch of fist-pumping fools and walked away inspired? My point exactly. These shows serve one purpose: mindless entertainment. The passive viewer takes on the role of a spectator of a train wreck. There is nothing inspiring or educational or positive that comes from these shows; they simply take up time. 

What is happening to our culture that we would rather watch drama-filled, feigned reality TV than actually live lives of our own, full of purpose and adventure? I'll tell you one thing: I'm not going to waste my life watching others ruin theirs. I'm going after my dreams, and that's reality. 

I Hate the Internet

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last ten years, you are well aware of the fact that the internet is taking over everything. Need a job? Internet. Want a date? Internet. Want to catch up with a friend? Internet. Pursuing a college degree? Internet. Need clothes, shoes, food, electronics, a pet monkey? Internet. You get the point. I’d go as far as to say that if I really wanted to, I could live a fairly productive life without ever leaving my house in this day and age. The thing is, unlike many of my peers, I am really uninterested in a cyber life. Sure, it can be convenient at times, but in my opinion it’s just not worth the cost. Our culture of E-everything is destroying…

1.      Our ability to communicate face-to-face

2.      Paper books (screw you, Kindle)

3.      MY FUTURE CAREER

The first two probably make sense to you. Let me explain the third. I am pursuing a degree in journalism. I want to write. I want to share stories with people, stories that will change their lives and open their eyes to the injustices occurring in their world so that they can change their world. I want to write for a newspaper.

No, I’m not a hipster. I truly believe in the power of news and the organic beauty of news stories that I can hold in my hands. To me, there is something about a newspaper that the internet will never be able to replicate. Maybe it’s the idea that anyone, regardless of motive, education, intelligence, dedication, passion, or bias can write “news” online. The internet allows anyone to call himself a “journalist,” and that just doesn’t sit right with me.

I polled my Facebook friends to gain some insight on how they stay informed about the goings-on in the world. Thirteen out of fifteen people said that the internet is their primary news source. Eleven out of fifteen do not read their local newspaper. These odds do not bode well for the once-trusted, once-beloved local newspaper.

As much as it breaks my little journalist heart, I do not believe that any newspaper will survive unless it is available online. Therefore, I have to say that of the Newspapers available to us today, the local paper has the least chance of survival. As for the New York Times vs. USA Today, my vote for long-term survival goes to USA Today. It is more readily available online, it is written for the masses, and there are more pictures…I mean, who doesn't love a good picture?

I wish that I could change this. I wish that I could make people fall back in love with the news in print. Maybe this will get their attention…

#bringbackthenewspaper

Magazines are Trying to Kill You

No, no, I didn't come across a knife-wielding magazine recently. Unfortunately, it's much worse than that. If you are male or female, 10 years old or 90 years old, rich or poor, you, my friend, are a target. Chances are you didn't even know how aggressively magazine producers have been victimizing you. I want you to think about the last time that you were in the grocery store check-out line and scanning what I like to call the "impulse buy" shelves. Scattered next to the candy, assorted magazines vied for your attention. Their silent screams were communicating things to you that you would never receive if they were uttered from a friend, family member, co-worker, or even a stranger. 

You need to lose weight. 

You need better clothes. 

Don't even think about leaving the house without make-up.

Don't you dare age. 

You're not sexy enough.

You aren't worth anything without ______.

I'm not questioning your intelligence. In the back of your mind, the idea that you might be letting a magazine define your worth probably seems outrageous. But is it really? 

Studies done by the National Institute on Media and the Family show that largely due to the image of women portrayed on magazines (which is getting thinner and thinner, by the way), by age 13, 53% of girls in America are "unhappy with their bodies." By the age of 17, this number grows to 78%. Learn more here.

Take a look at what magazines call "beautiful." 

Evolution

Body Evolution

There is nothing real about the counterfeit "beauty" that magazines are selling. Imitation beauty sells because it is cheap. True beauty comes from within, but unfortunately our culture is such that we worship physical appearance. Ironically, and I know this from personal experience, the more make-up you buy and the more fad diets you try, it is never enough. Why? Because you're trying to attain something that doesn't exist. Magazines and the media are trying to kill everything that makes you unique. They seek to strip you of your you-ness so that you become a shell, empty of life and joy and zeal and full of discontentment, jealousy, and hopelessness. If they can just do that, then they have you. Don't buy into it. Don't let them win. Don't trade your life for an airbrushed one.