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Are People Finally Getting Bored with the Tech-Blog Circle Jerk?

blogs.sfweekly.com

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Re: Are People Finally Getting Bored with the Tech-Blog Circle Jerk?

#44

Personally, I got bored of it long ago and just simply stopped reading. It's not that hard to do.

I never actually started reading any of that stuff... Though I will read something if it floats up here on HN or Reddit or whatever.

Re: Are People Finally Getting Bored with the Tech-Blog Circle Jerk?

#45

Given how many years the political circle jerk known as cable news has been going, I believe there may be an infinite appetite for this stuff.

Warning: Rant. There is indeed. Western culture has undergone a value shift. Today's values are superficial in the extreme - we value money, personality[1], and social status. We "want respect"[2], and don't want to be "judged"[3]. Most of all, we crave others' approval. The old values like integrity, honesty, empathy, conscientiouness and authenticity have been tossed aside. It's also the reason people like Arringto…

Western culture has undergone a value shift. Today's values are superficial in the extreme - we value money, personality[1], and social status. We "want respect"[2], and don't want to be "judged"[3].

Most of all, we crave others' approval.

The old values like integrity, honesty, empathy, conscientiouness and authenticity have been tossed aside.

This is not a new idea. In the year ~ 100 AD the Roman poet Juvenal wrote:

Already long ago, from when we sold our vote to no man, the People have abdicated our duties; for the People who once upon a time handed out military command, high civil office, legions — everything, now restrains itself and anxiously hopes for just two things: bread and circuses

This attitude that "Everyone was great and hard working in the past, but now everyone's superficial" is common enough.

Re: Are People Finally Getting Bored with the Tech-Blog Circle Jerk?

#46
post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Warning: Rant. There is indeed. Western culture has undergone a value shift. Today's values are superficial in the extreme - we value money, personality[1], and social status. We "want respect"[2], and don't want to be "judged"[3]. Most of all, we crave others' approval. The old values like integrity, honesty, empathy, conscientiouness and authenticity have been tossed aside. It's also the reason people like Arringto…

Western culture has undergone a value shift. Today's values are superficial in the extreme - we value money, personality[1], and social status. We "want respect"[2], and don't want to be "judged"[3]. Most of all, we crave others' approval. The old values like integrity, honesty, empathy, conscientiouness and authenticity have been tossed aside. This is not a new idea. In the year ~ 100 AD the Roman poet Juvenal wrote…

How'd that Roman Empire turn out for them, once they got their bread and circuses?

When claiming that this "fall of civilisation" talk is always around, I'm not sure drawing comparisons to the era leading to the fall of Rome is really bolstering your case. Quite the opposite.

Re: Are People Finally Getting Bored with the Tech-Blog Circle Jerk?

#48
These sites are the tech equivalent of the newstand tabloids or Hello magazine. They package themselves in such as way as to give themselves a veneer of respectability but they're somewhere between fluff and gossip at best, out and out product placement or PR at worst.

There's no difference between the articles they write and the thinly disguised endorsements for a particular moisturiser brand you get in women's magazines written by someone who has just come back from an all expenses paid spa day sponsored by a cosmetics manufacturer.

We should stop referring to people who write and work for these sites as journalists and start referring to them as public relations people because really that's what they are.

Re: Are People Finally Getting Bored with the Tech-Blog Circle Jerk?

#49
post #15

TheVerge has become my favorite "mainstream" tech publication, largely because it covers actual tech news, rather than self-referential articles about tech journalism.

Ars is still excellent.

Ars, Tech Review, and Wired (birdman hoax aside) are very relevant tech publications that cover trends that everyone who works in technology should be aware of.

Like many people here, I get most tech headlines via Hacker News. Sometimes I use Twitter. I used to be a big Techmeme fan, but I've noticed A) the best stories on TM tend to show up on HN first and B) most other TM content is the commodity Apple/FB/gadget news and blog theater that I am trying to get away from.

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