The aftermath of the first presidential debate of 2024 revealed citizens’ growing disillusionment with the media system. Many Americans expressed skepticism, publicly and privately, about Joe Biden’s cognitive capacity to effectively lead the country if elected again. Prevailing media reports assured anxious voters that, behind closed doors, Biden showed no signs of decline and was sharp as ever. The Biden Americans watched take the stage on June 27, 2024, instantly disproved that narrative. Those already distrustful of the mainstream media became even more so.

Cheap fake, deep fake. Misinformation, disinformation. Clickbait, ragebait. 

Fake news, troll farm, echo chamber, infodemic.

The modern English lexicon is full of words to describe the collective contempt Americans feel toward the American media. The Media is spoken about as if it were one cohesive and sentient body. The American Media has become a sort of boogeyman, an entity that is both dangerous and endangered. The Media is an elusive thing which Americans distrust, despise, and depend on.

Once upon a time, so I’m told, people were unable to constantly access the world’s information. People might go days, weeks, or months without knowing what went on beyond the boundaries of their communities. On June 1, 1980, CNN’s inaugural broadcast premiered. The network became the first 24-hour news channel. Today’s additional 24-hour networks, online news outlets, and social media platforms operate continuously. Outlets crank out content, and users like, comment, share, and subscribe. Supply and demand are inexhaustible.

In the US, we have taken our assigned consumer roles to heart. We consume information at a scale that would astonish our ancestors. The burst of dopamine accompanying the consumption of a piece of news keeps us coming back for more. The high is intensified when the content is inflammatory or emotional. 

The consumption of news is obligatory for the modern American, even though The Media’s products are often dissatisfying. We’re frequently consuming empty calories. Bias in American media is painfully evident; major outlets cater to specific political or ideological audiences, leading people to distrust sources that don’t align with their views. Engagement is the ruling metric of modern digital media, and nuance is not the latest trend. Stories are sensationalized to attract attention, and we feel disappointed when content doesn’t live up to its hype or turns out to be misleading. Attention spans are short, and the media cycle moves fast, so incorrect or unverified pieces are disseminated anyway. A handful of large corporations control the flow of information, and independent voices are often swept under the rug. Many feel that The Media is out of touch and focuses on perspectives that don’t reflect the interests of ordinary citizens. Public figures and recognized authorities also criticize the media.

Complain. Click. Repeat. Is there an alternative? 

At the risk of sounding like an advertisement, I say frustrated citizens should consider platforms like Fair Observer. You won’t see any targeted ads on the Fair Observer site, nor will you be asked to pay to read articles. FO is a nonprofit with no Mega Corporation oversight. We’re crowdfunded by generous donations, and we do what we want here. We’re concerned with dialogue and the democratization of ideas, not engagement and subsequent polarization. FO follows no ideological bent and has published some 3,000 diverse authors across 90+ countries. 

Sustaining a platform not focused on maximizing clicks to maximize profits is no small feat. I currently publish with FO about once per month. I’d create new work more often if I had the means; I, like most FO contributors, fit my writing, editing, and interviewing at odd hours to meet the demands of the day job that pays my bills. As FO is not for profit, we’re primarily run by volunteers who write, produce, and edit content because they believe in independent, alternative media. Donor support is crucial.

Today, we consume more news than ever, yet we trust it less. We crave information and feel let down after accessing it. I’ve argued that, for social media models to undergo significant change, users must be willing to reject the status quo and experiment with new systems. The same is true for other forms of digital media. Suppose we want to see changes in media. In that case, we must take a chance on emergent, independent voices and invest in a media ecosystem that does not exploit the worst of our psychologies but reflects the best of our democratic ideals.

To learn more about how you can contribute to Fair Observer, please visit www.fairobserver.com/donate/

[Tanisha Desai edited this piece.]

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Fair Observer’s editorial policy.