This is fascinating and I couldn’t agree more. A million years ago, I read Harlan Ellison’s “The Glass Teat,” venturing the theory that TV doesn’t just suck, it is sucked. This was probably 50 years ago.
TV — or video — strips us of our imagination. Do I watch it? Of course I do. And I can get sucked in to videos on Instagram too. But, like you, I don’t get my news from TV, where it’s become the sort of circus predicted in Paddy Chayefsky’s “Network.”
Thanks for this article. I wish I had a more hopeful outlook on the fate of reading.
All true, and when you consider the impact of this trend on politics, things get really depressing. For one reason or another, Republicans understand how to do politics in this environment. It's all images and emotionally resonant themes for them, frequently fictional, while Democrats still attempt to win support with policy and analysis broadly based on facts. Until Democrats find a way to make their candidates and messages more entertaining, they will continue to flounder and will potentially lose the opportunity ever to regain power.
yes. I wrote and deleted a bunch of stuff on politics bc it was becoming its own essay. ezra has written/podded wonderfully on the political implications of these ideas
I’d argue it’s not that they understand how to do “politics” better in this environment. It’s that they understand what people want is a savior to burn it all down and then to rebuild. That is why “Trump Can Fix It” and that is why any argument that requires any thought struggles to gain traction.
That’s a fair question! I think my answer would be that there is no attempt to “do politics.” There IS an attempt to do a “tv show” that provides some sort of savior. That’s a fine-line argument to make but I do think there is a distinction.
Postman is everywhere today for a reason. The book is shockingly relevant, as are David Foster Wallace’s essays about television.
I am alarmed by this but also, disliking video myself, baffled by it. The beauty of podcasts is being able to learn/ enjoy while doing things like chores, exercise, or commuting. Who *wants* to sit around watching videos all day? Not me, I’m still audio-only but, I guess, increasingly alone.
If this post was only a video podcast I wouldn't have watched. I know I'm a Luddite, but the written words are more engaging, allowing true contemplation on the author's message. On technical topics, the reader can much more easily check sources. Derek is correct on the trend. However, the healthy growth of the Substack platform, which is still only 3% video, suggests there is is a small counter trend of those who want to think and not just feel.
All great points. It reminded in me that I'm not reading nearly as much as I used to. I'm scrolling instagram and consuming the content I've curated, but just haven't curled up with a good book in awhile. Need to change that.
Currently, vIdeo material moves so fast and is so jerky with impossibly short "scenes" that it is hard to decipher any real meaning; all accompanied by loud booms for sound effects and practically no volume allotted to any words delivered by a human—which are played at 150%+ speed the of usual spoken word.
Reading this, I kept thinking how television, in its newest forms, hasn’t just conquered other media, it’s conquered response. We’ve turned communication into output, until the only thing left to consume is our own reflection.
And in that mirror, we’ve mistaken recognition for relationship. We’re performing connection instead of living it—scrolling, streaming, posting, all to prove we still exist. The tragedy isn’t that no one’s watching. It’s that everyone is, and still, we feel unseen.
What an excellent and thoughtful piece. I have 17 and 13 year old boys so I spend a lot of time thinking about the impact on them of cell phones, social media, etc., not to mention how AI will impact their high school and college experiences and job prospects. Everything is changing so fast or so it seems.
I hope you stay audio only! I'm like you that podcasts are something I deeply absorb while walking, driving, cooking, etc. I don't want to watch a conversation - I just want to hear it and think about it. Audio sinks in, video flits by.
This is great, and I've heard this in other places recently. The bit about devolving from written language is the most worrying bit; if we return to an oral tradition then how can history be understood and accepted? It's only by understanding and accepting history--that which is true and real about humanity--that we can avoid the mistakes of the past. And I think we're seeing the results of ignoring that history in current politics and society across the globe--antisemitism, tribalism, authoritarianism.
I do believe this is where the deepest, most ancient traditions are critical and reveal our humanity. The more we become slaves to our technology and to our governments the less humanity and freedom we have, and it's showing up in our birth rates and our life expectancies and physical and mental health markers. It will require us to reject these false gods and return to celebrating the true God we have rejected so thoroughly. Too many intellectuals are circling around this--or outright rejecting this--when it's so clear to the simple-minded among us who have followed these traditions and see all the signs of civilizational decline. It's truly a story as old as time but our modern sensibilities blind us to the reality of the situation. I just hope enough people wake up before there's too much destruction.
As an avowed lover of television, I don’t know if it is as much television as it is whatever can conceivably draw attention. (That’s my weak defense of television, I know you are using the word more broadly than that).
Form doesn’t seem to matter all that much beyond audiovisual stimuli being the current best hook. It does make you wonder, because this isn’t a new phenomenon, what has shaken societies such that they regain control of their own attention. Is it an external shock? Is there some first mover advantage to dropping that goal?
I’ve always viewed podcasts as a radio product, I’ve never really understood wanting to watch people talk unless a bunch of graphics and maybe charts are being used to explain something.
If you’re watching a podcast on YouTube you can’t lock your phone I don’t understand why anyone would want their phone on constantly even if they only look down at it a couple times throughout the episode.
I fully understand I’m in the minority here just my personal opinion.
This is fascinating and I couldn’t agree more. A million years ago, I read Harlan Ellison’s “The Glass Teat,” venturing the theory that TV doesn’t just suck, it is sucked. This was probably 50 years ago.
TV — or video — strips us of our imagination. Do I watch it? Of course I do. And I can get sucked in to videos on Instagram too. But, like you, I don’t get my news from TV, where it’s become the sort of circus predicted in Paddy Chayefsky’s “Network.”
Thanks for this article. I wish I had a more hopeful outlook on the fate of reading.
All true, and when you consider the impact of this trend on politics, things get really depressing. For one reason or another, Republicans understand how to do politics in this environment. It's all images and emotionally resonant themes for them, frequently fictional, while Democrats still attempt to win support with policy and analysis broadly based on facts. Until Democrats find a way to make their candidates and messages more entertaining, they will continue to flounder and will potentially lose the opportunity ever to regain power.
yes. I wrote and deleted a bunch of stuff on politics bc it was becoming its own essay. ezra has written/podded wonderfully on the political implications of these ideas
I’d argue it’s not that they understand how to do “politics” better in this environment. It’s that they understand what people want is a savior to burn it all down and then to rebuild. That is why “Trump Can Fix It” and that is why any argument that requires any thought struggles to gain traction.
Perhaps it's both?
That’s a fair question! I think my answer would be that there is no attempt to “do politics.” There IS an attempt to do a “tv show” that provides some sort of savior. That’s a fine-line argument to make but I do think there is a distinction.
Postman is everywhere today for a reason. The book is shockingly relevant, as are David Foster Wallace’s essays about television.
I am alarmed by this but also, disliking video myself, baffled by it. The beauty of podcasts is being able to learn/ enjoy while doing things like chores, exercise, or commuting. Who *wants* to sit around watching videos all day? Not me, I’m still audio-only but, I guess, increasingly alone.
This can’t help but raise the question: If everything is television, then shouldn’t it be regulated as television?
If this post was only a video podcast I wouldn't have watched. I know I'm a Luddite, but the written words are more engaging, allowing true contemplation on the author's message. On technical topics, the reader can much more easily check sources. Derek is correct on the trend. However, the healthy growth of the Substack platform, which is still only 3% video, suggests there is is a small counter trend of those who want to think and not just feel.
All great points. It reminded in me that I'm not reading nearly as much as I used to. I'm scrolling instagram and consuming the content I've curated, but just haven't curled up with a good book in awhile. Need to change that.
Currently, vIdeo material moves so fast and is so jerky with impossibly short "scenes" that it is hard to decipher any real meaning; all accompanied by loud booms for sound effects and practically no volume allotted to any words delivered by a human—which are played at 150%+ speed the of usual spoken word.
No thanks, I will stick to reading.
Watching vertical videos seriously stresses me out.
Reading this, I kept thinking how television, in its newest forms, hasn’t just conquered other media, it’s conquered response. We’ve turned communication into output, until the only thing left to consume is our own reflection.
And in that mirror, we’ve mistaken recognition for relationship. We’re performing connection instead of living it—scrolling, streaming, posting, all to prove we still exist. The tragedy isn’t that no one’s watching. It’s that everyone is, and still, we feel unseen.
What an excellent and thoughtful piece. I have 17 and 13 year old boys so I spend a lot of time thinking about the impact on them of cell phones, social media, etc., not to mention how AI will impact their high school and college experiences and job prospects. Everything is changing so fast or so it seems.
I hope you stay audio only! I'm like you that podcasts are something I deeply absorb while walking, driving, cooking, etc. I don't want to watch a conversation - I just want to hear it and think about it. Audio sinks in, video flits by.
This is great, and I've heard this in other places recently. The bit about devolving from written language is the most worrying bit; if we return to an oral tradition then how can history be understood and accepted? It's only by understanding and accepting history--that which is true and real about humanity--that we can avoid the mistakes of the past. And I think we're seeing the results of ignoring that history in current politics and society across the globe--antisemitism, tribalism, authoritarianism.
I do believe this is where the deepest, most ancient traditions are critical and reveal our humanity. The more we become slaves to our technology and to our governments the less humanity and freedom we have, and it's showing up in our birth rates and our life expectancies and physical and mental health markers. It will require us to reject these false gods and return to celebrating the true God we have rejected so thoroughly. Too many intellectuals are circling around this--or outright rejecting this--when it's so clear to the simple-minded among us who have followed these traditions and see all the signs of civilizational decline. It's truly a story as old as time but our modern sensibilities blind us to the reality of the situation. I just hope enough people wake up before there's too much destruction.
As an avowed lover of television, I don’t know if it is as much television as it is whatever can conceivably draw attention. (That’s my weak defense of television, I know you are using the word more broadly than that).
Form doesn’t seem to matter all that much beyond audiovisual stimuli being the current best hook. It does make you wonder, because this isn’t a new phenomenon, what has shaken societies such that they regain control of their own attention. Is it an external shock? Is there some first mover advantage to dropping that goal?
https://open.substack.com/pub/theslowpanic/p/your-attention-is-all-they-need
Bro you posted this at 5AM 💀
He usually does?
I’ve always viewed podcasts as a radio product, I’ve never really understood wanting to watch people talk unless a bunch of graphics and maybe charts are being used to explain something.
If you’re watching a podcast on YouTube you can’t lock your phone I don’t understand why anyone would want their phone on constantly even if they only look down at it a couple times throughout the episode.
I fully understand I’m in the minority here just my personal opinion.