In television, the incentive mechanism that drives [[We know political vibes, not political platforms]] is the entertainment business. Television is bound by ratings, and thus the medium in which we receive our political information *really* tells viewers is what will resonate with them and boost ratings. It is created in our image. Extend this to social media, which I think, is how more and more of my demographic receives our news, if we indeed receive news at all. What do Twitter and IG and Reddit amplify? That which resonates and therefore gets reshared, retweeted, upvoted, and amplified. It is not based on any individual person's taste or a network's criteria for ratings and curation. It is more direct than that. So a clarification on our media being shaped in our image -- it is shaped in what we amplify, which often is our image, but also often what we believe our image to be, what we want to hear, perhaps what most gives us joy, but often what angers us most. Our social media is shaped by our most reactive selves. It will amplify both that which you commented angrily on and that which you laughed at and put a like on. (Perhaps not in equal measure. The algorithm itself is opaque, another reason to be wary.) What is excluded? Balanced portrayals of news. Often, any news at all. There is so much more out there that is more entertaining than news. [[Amusing Ourselves to Death]]