I feel like I’m pretty much only willing to try something if someone I know and respect recommends it to me. I’m always super unwilling to just randomly pick up a book or a movie or whatever on my own… I feel like ever since being vaguely into Marvel slop, I’m just so much more aware of how finite my time is and I have to know I’m going into something worth seeing and engaging with before I’ll commit to even trying something. Does anyone else feel this way more? Is this just the process of me calcifying as I get older, or is it to do with how society is?
99% of media in the Western world is liberal trash and liberalism’s message is utterly repulsive.
It just means you’re getting older and actually have standards. 99.99% of pop culture is slop. Just don’t fall into the trap of thinking your childhood favorites aren’t part of the 99.99% (Spoiler: they’re also pointless slop).
I typically just don’t bother with content unless it’s complete. Sonarr and Radarr are really handy, but I have fewer than 5 currently running shows in my 9TB plex library.
Streaming services are a graveyard of cancelled TV shows, painfully mediocre movies, and reality TV.
E: The 5 shows are Severance, Foundation, The Rehearsal, Invincible, and Andor
You have good taste
Marvel slop
Not like there wasn’t bad media before, but Marvel slop really drove home to me that I can’t just take people’s recommendations. I checked some out because my partner at the time wanted to watch some to see what their friends were so excited for and there was nothing good about it.
I have to know I’m going into something worth seeing and engaging with before I’ll commit to even trying something
Hard agree. Too many stories are just bad and aren’t worth the time investment. Or they don’t even have an end or resolution because the studio that made them (looking at a lot of shows) cancelled it leaving the story unfinished.
I’ve hit this with science fiction. Used to be willing to suspend disbelief for nearly anything just to get a sci-fi fix… but… eh. So much of it is just transplanting modern sensibilities and relations into a fantastic setting. And sure, most “far future” stories are really just reflections of the era in which they’re written in. That’s fine if the author actually has something to say about that. But a lot of sci-fi just… doesn’t.
Also I’m done with the computational theory of mind. Those depths have been well and truly plumed, can we give it a rest? Panpsychism is my new friend, if only because there’s a lot untapped narrative potential.
The issue with media on platforms who’s profit relies on ads is that they are trying to minimize the cost of production while still maximizing view time. The end result is barely passable slop :)
I’ve always just consumed older media because it’s a lot more affordable.
Oh yeah, definitely. I just think it’s because I have a lot less free time now to devote to my current interests.
I’ve been pretty skeptical of Latest Thing since like… the Bush years. But even for my old jaded feathery butt, there’s something different about the streaming era of prestige-chasing short run shows that manages to somehow capture even less of my interest. Things that exist in the public consciousness because a streaming platform has bought space from itself to advertise its own stuff to everyone on the same schedule to fake there being an interest in it.
I explore a bit once in a while, but I would say I have the same feeling. I just don’t have the time to just waste away most of the time. He’ll, even when I do find something I really want to watch I end up procrastinating and take forever to finish a series.
Other than things other people on the left recommend repeatedly I’m generally into just rewatching a lot of old good stuff. I mean I guess to my credit I have a pretty large amount of media, more than two dozen TV shows, over a thousand movies. I get a lot of enjoyment out of riff audio mixes for B movies and worse. Like watching objectively terrible stuff while people are making fun of it is great fun compared to watching better production value but still terrible soul-crushing stuff that everyone is saying is great.
I would say do make a conscious effort not to get trapped in a kind of paralysis seeking perfection, watch something new once a month if you can, even if it’s not necessarily new, even just new to you like a classic movie you’ve never seen before.
I judge things by their cover and synopsis
I can’t even remember the last time I watched or listened to a TV show or music of my own accord, let alone kept up with a show/band. In my case I think it’s more due to anhedonia than a cynical view of popular media though.
I just watched a video talking about how much our media is braindead slop!
I found a YouTube link in your comment. Here are links to the same video on alternative frontends that protect your privacy:
Yeah… I tried out a new audiobook based on popularity on Libby after I finished the 3rd Dune book… made it about 30 minutes in, two nights in a row, and then deleted it. Now I’m onto the 4th Dune book instead.
