Once upon a time I wrote this (https://bigvaiandshiphrah.com/2021/01/07/no-news-is-good-news/), which I am proud of. It’s a fun read (unbiased and fact-checked statement). But I thought I’d revisit the subject. Because… I’ve relapsed. Into ignorance. And I love it. Take that, Dad! First. Yes, we should care about truth. And yes, news media (of a variety ofContinue reading “News Consumption (revisited)”
Category Archives: Media
Horizon: Zero Dawn – Reflection on Themes, Narrative, and Hero.
Modernity retrofitted into a postapocalyptic (premodern) tribal world. A reflection on the themes of tribalism, impossible heroes, the view from nowhere and its subversive fulfilment in a Hero who actually did come from outside our world.
Video Games – The Level 50 Quest for Moderation.
In the last two posts, we have thought about video games and how they are not (strictly speaking) inherently wrong as a medium – they can be a joy and a pleasure as we explore the mind’s creations come to virtual life. But hopefully we all know video games are also a bane on theContinue reading “Video Games – The Level 50 Quest for Moderation.”
Video games and Escapism.
Is ‘escapism’ a fictional charge against video games? It certainly is a charge raised against video games. That they are an escape into unreality, an active attempt to run away from the real and lived experience of the world. Perhaps you’ve heard it said or said yourself, “nothing but fantasy worlds”. So is the explorationContinue reading “Video games and Escapism.”
Video games – Asking the Right Questions.
If I could, would I simply stop playing games altogether? This direct line of interrogation stirs up my innards. It feels like it gets right to the heart of the matter because it evinces a visceral response. But actually it doesn’t illuminate much. It’s too simplistic a question. You see,the question you ask determines (inContinue reading “Video games – Asking the Right Questions.”
Media consumption: Practical tips for moderation.
Last week we considered our attitude to media. You cannot take the right actions without first having the right attitude. Laws and rules don’t help without a renewed heart and mind. So implement change in your mind before you implement change with your hands. One follows the other but what you do follows very closelyContinue reading “Media consumption: Practical tips for moderation.”
Media consumption: Thoughts about our attitude to media.
Tell me if this is a familiar situation for you. You were watching a movie or a TV show which apparently everyone else has watched, thus necessitating your viewing of it for fear of contracting the dreaded FOMO disease. However, at the end of one or another episode or in a scene in said movieContinue reading “Media consumption: Thoughts about our attitude to media.”
A Summary – Competing Spectacles by T. Reinke – Part 2: The Spectacle
In the last post we ended with the question, “What are we going to give our attention to?” There is an endless array of spectacles to gaze at. This, of course, is a big part of the problem in contemporary society. Social media, video games, media, ads, all mining for the precious resource of yourContinue reading “A Summary – Competing Spectacles by T. Reinke – Part 2: The Spectacle”
A Summary – Competing Spectacles by T. Reinke – Part 1: The Age of The Spectacle
We live in the age of the image, the age of entertainment. Or as Tony Reinke would put it in his book, the age of the spectacle. A spectacle “…is something that captures human attention, an instant where our eyes and brains focus and fixate on something projected at.” (p14) Now if the spectacle isContinue reading “A Summary – Competing Spectacles by T. Reinke – Part 1: The Age of The Spectacle”
Bigvai and Shiphrah 