The problem with modern media

[thejboy88]

Hey guys.

I was at home last night, watching one of these new gameshows that started airing recently and literally within the first 5 minutes, I was put off. This was not the first time this has happened mind you. More and more I find that I simply cannot connect or be entertained by TV these days. And not just TV, but film, music, literature, virtually every medium you can think of.

This got me thinking. Why do those of our generation have trouble connecting to the new stuff. Are we overly-nostalgic, are we just stuck in our own little worlds so much that we cannot acknowledge stuff which might be legitimately good? NO! The answer is actually very simple:

"Modern media has no staying power".

By this I mean that somewhere along the line, TV, Films and other forms of media became so obsessed with being liked, being popular and appealing to everyone, that they have ended up appealing to no-one.

Take music. In the past there were great musicians and artists whose songs we listen to even today. Michael Jackson, Elvis, the Beatles and many others all made timeless classics that many still love today, and will probably love years from now. As for the stuff made recently, who really thinks that Lady Gaga and others of her ilk we be talked about five years from now?

And don't even get me started on the direction classic franchises like Disney have been taking recently. During my childhood they were a shining example of quality children's entertainment. Now, Tween demographics are turning that franchise into a sugary hollow mess, and thats the nicest thing Ive said about them for some time.

Just so you all know, I recognise that every once in a while, a great piece will come out. Films like the dark knight, or TV shows like 24 (mostly the early seasons) are clear examples of exceptions to the rule I've put forth. But thats just the problem, they're exceptions rather than the rule.

Go back a few decades and something good was being churned out virtually every day. Now, they are few and far between.

Or maybe I'm just being overly-critical.

You decide.

 

[zfactor]

I sort of agree.

I see most of modern media as bad, but that is because it doens't appeal to me (what does is NCIS, CSI, Mythbusters, some movies, metal music, etc). It appeals to somebody, otherwise the corporations wouldn't have made it. It would make no money if it did not appeal to someone (mostly this "tween" demographic you speak of). So in a few decades, nobody will remember the crappy stuff and remember the good stuff. This is exactly what happened to the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Everyone forgot about the crap and remembered the good. I don't think "something good was being churned out virtually every day" in the past, we just remember all to great media pieces and forgot about the bad ones because that's what happenes to bad media.

So wait a few years, and (hopefully) everyone will have forgotten twilight ever existed.

EDIT: Very off topic --- Wooooooooooo 500 posts!!!

 

[Biffin Bridge]

The modern mass-media culture is a good thing, you just have to learn to filter out the rubbish. I see the commercialisation of TV, films, music etc a bit like the Jedi mind trick in that it only really works on the weak minded. Believe it or not you don't have to watch X-factor, you don't have to listen to Lady Gaga.

P.S. The Beatles music was crap and only really appealed to teenage girls in the sixties not too dissimilar to the what that Justin Biebher tool does these days.

 

[FalloutJack]

The modern mass-media culture is a good thing, you just have to learn to filter out the rubbish. I see the commercialisation of TV, films, music etc a bit like the Jedi mind trick in that it only really works on the weak minded. Believe it or not you don't have to watch X-factor, you don't have to listen to Lady Gaga.

P.S. The Beatles music was crap and only really appealed to teenage girls in the sixties not too dissimilar to the what that Justin Biebher tool does these days.

Not only is this offensive, but it's inaccurate in regards to the Beatles. Caught you, troll-man.

Anyway, I'll have to agree with the OP, in part. Some television, movies, etc. DOES have staying power. Just not enough. I've ranted about the decline in animation before and this seems to lend credence to the fact that people barely want to try anymore. They'll just put out whatever crap they want and people will watch because they don't have the nerve to say no.

Some things out there are good, shows and movies that are actually worth the price of admission, the bill of cable, and so on. Also, you really can't say that anime is necessarily falling into this pattern. (Anyone who DOES believe so should be sat down in front of a compilation of decent anime first before making snap judgements. It's only fair.)

We're not doomed YET. I think reality shows will take a nosedive before it's too late.

 

[Biffin Bridge]

The modern mass-media culture is a good thing, you just have to learn to filter out the rubbish. I see the commercialisation of TV, films, music etc a bit like the Jedi mind trick in that it only really works on the weak minded. Believe it or not you don't have to watch X-factor, you don't have to listen to Lady Gaga.

P.S. The Beatles music was crap and only really appealed to teenage girls in the sixties not too dissimilar to the what that Justin Biebher tool does these days.

Not only is this offensive, but it's inaccurate in regards to the Beatles. Caught you, troll-man.

Anyway, I'll have to agree with the OP, in part. Some television, movies, etc. DOES have staying power. Just not enough. I've ranted about the decline in animation before and this seems to lend credence to the fact that people barely want to try anymore. They'll just put out whatever crap they want and people will watch because they don't have the nerve to say no.

Some things out there are good, shows and movies that are actually worth the price of admission, the bill of cable, and so on. Also, you really can't say that anime is necessarily falling into this pattern. (Anyone who DOES believe so should be sat down in front of a compilation of decent anime first before making snap judgements. It's only fair.)

We're not doomed YET. I think reality shows will take a nosedive before it's too late.

Please. Have you actually listened to any of their early albums? Until they started doing drugs all their songs were about how much in love they were. BLUGH! Ever noticed how all their concerts and public appearences were followed by teeny bobbers. All modern boybands follow the Beatles rules: Look 'trendy', appear available and sing about love.

 

[FalloutJack]

The modern mass-media culture is a good thing, you just have to learn to filter out the rubbish. I see the commercialisation of TV, films, music etc a bit like the Jedi mind trick in that it only really works on the weak minded. Believe it or not you don't have to watch X-factor, you don't have to listen to Lady Gaga.

P.S. The Beatles music was crap and only really appealed to teenage girls in the sixties not too dissimilar to the what that Justin Biebher tool does these days.

Not only is this offensive, but it's inaccurate in regards to the Beatles. Caught you, troll-man.

Anyway, I'll have to agree with the OP, in part. Some television, movies, etc. DOES have staying power. Just not enough. I've ranted about the decline in animation before and this seems to lend credence to the fact that people barely want to try anymore. They'll just put out whatever crap they want and people will watch because they don't have the nerve to say no.

Some things out there are good, shows and movies that are actually worth the price of admission, the bill of cable, and so on. Also, you really can't say that anime is necessarily falling into this pattern. (Anyone who DOES believe so should be sat down in front of a compilation of decent anime first before making snap judgements. It's only fair.)

We're not doomed YET. I think reality shows will take a nosedive before it's too late.

Please. Have you actually listened to any of their early albums? Until they started doing drugs all their songs were about how much in love they were. BLUGH! Ever noticed how all their concerts and public appearences were followed by teeny bobbers. All modern boybands follow the Beatles rules: Look 'trendy', appear available and sing about love.

I think you missed the part where they were the most popular band of their age, just saying. Comparing them to boy-bands is just crazy-talk. Boy-bands are just trying too hard, whereas some are just that good. You get born into the right age with the right idea and some real talent, and the sky's the limit.

Your argument makes no sense to me. I suppose you'd compare Elvis Presley to Bob Dylan too, or maybe Queen to N'Sync. Nobody's going to buy into that kind of discussion. We like the Beatles in this house. If you can't accept that, move on. This isn't the topic for you.

 

[Biffin Bridge]

My parents were both teenagers in the sixties. Mum loved the Beatles, dad loved Bob Dylan (as do I). Your counter arguement that they were the most 'popular' band holds little weight either as the most popular bands tend to be POP bands by definition.

I shall allow this thread to die in peace.

R.I.P.

 

[TeeBs]

The problem with modern music is people don't make an attempt to explore it, OP.

 

[fishfart]

I bet you could go through each decade and find people saying the exact same thing about their 'modern day' entertainment. The fact is when we recall the past, we are selective in what we wish to remember. We only remember the good things and the good things usually last hence giving this skewed sense of 'better entertainment' in the past when in reality there was probably just as much crap as there is now.

 

[zfactor]

I bet you could go through each decade and find people saying the exact same thing and their 'modern day' entertainment. The fact is when we recall the past, we are selective in what we wish to remember. We only remember the good things and the good things usually last hence giving this skewed sense of 'better entertainment' in the past.

Competely agree, mostly because that is what I said earlier...

We only remember the good stuff of the past and see the good and bad of today. So it seems like yesterday was better, when it was about the same amound of good and bad stuff.

 

[lostzombies.com]

and here I was thinking the problem with the modern media is that it is made up of shallow, pathetic, slimeball fear-mongerers who will do anything for a story that regardless of political/economic/social consequences...or the truth

 

[tigermilk]

While I think we are by no means going through a golden age of TV there is some brilliant ambitous TV that has been made in the last ten years and a lot of 'low-brow' TV prior specifically gameshows have been a staple of TV for over fifty years.

Recent (last ten years) classic TV shows (in my opinion) The Sopranos, The Wire, The Corner, Six Feet Under, Mad Men, Outlaws, Peep Show, Boardwalk Empire, The Office (UK and USA), Early Doors, Breaking Bad are all great.

British TV does seem to be going through a lull while the 70's produced a number of quality sitcoms and police/crime dramas and the 80's produced a huge amount of high budget, high quality 'high brow' dramas, and the 90's had a selection of all of the above recently it has been going through a low quality periodfocusing more and more on 'reality TV' and derivitive cop shows indebted to the worst of American crime programmes. I am resigned to this and just concentrate primarily on the wealth of qulaity TV produced from the 1950's onwards.

 

[Hosker]

Sounds like you just need to stay away from mainstream stuff, which is targeted at most people, hence why it is mainstream.
And I don't think literature really counts; it's much less, can't really think of the right word, commercialised? They cost a lot less to make than films ect so the pressure to appeal to more people is lessened.

 

[zen5887]

I think you missed the part where they were the most popular band of their age, just saying. Comparing them to boy-bands is just crazy-talk. Boy-bands are just trying too hard, whereas some are just that good. You get born into the right age with the right idea and some real talent, and the sky's the limit.

Your argument makes no sense to me. I suppose you'd compare Elvis Presley to Bob Dylan too, or maybe Queen to N'Sync. Nobody's going to buy into that kind of discussion. We like the Beatles in this house. If you can't accept that, move on. This isn't the topic for you.

What about the part where Justin Beiber is the most popular artist of our age?

The Beatles, in their early career, wrote some pretty crap stuff. All pop songs for the ladies and all under 3 minutes. Obviously they matured as songwriters and wrote some amazing songs, but in the begining they were a boy band.