The sad decline of trade journalism

Discussion in 'Random Thoughts' started by earnmyturns, Feb 1, 2023.

  1. earnmyturns

    earnmyturns Smartest friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 25, 2016
    Likes Received:
    3,218
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Palo Alto
    Home Page:
    • Like Like x 3
    • Epic Epic x 1
    • List
  2. dasman66

    dasman66 Self proclaimed lazy ass - friend

    Pyrate Contributor
    Joined:
    Mar 13, 2018
    Likes Received:
    2,461
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    NW Pennsylvania
    I had a similar experience as that ski article when I went to buy a new rainshell a month or so ago. I figured I'd skim the online reviews to see what new info was out there since my old (ripped) jacket was now about 10yrs old... and I found loads of "top ten" review sites with links to shells on amazon.
     
  3. Pancakes

    Pancakes Friend

    Pyrate Contributor
    Joined:
    Aug 13, 2020
    Likes Received:
    1,417
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    Atl
    Hmmm yeah I hate doing research on anything anymore. The entire internet is basically a scam. But this is what "freedom" is (every idiot and con is free to broadcast to the world) so there you go. Society democratized stupid. Way to go society. I expect a a thousand years from now this period will be viewed as the great dumbing.
     
    • Like Like x 3
    • Epic Epic x 2
    • Agreed, ditto, +1 Agreed, ditto, +1 x 1
    • List
  4. scblock

    scblock Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Nov 11, 2019
    Likes Received:
    1,419
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    Denver
    This is not the result of actual freedom or greater access to tools to share knowledge. That created the internet we once knew and is a key part of why sites like SBAF exist.

    This pervasive garbage is the result of chasing of ad and affiliate revenue through mostly generated garbage content. At the end it all falls on the shoulders of AdTech companies and their enablers like Google and Amazon.
     
    • Agreed, ditto, +1 Agreed, ditto, +1 x 7
    • Like Like x 6
    • List
  5. Pancakes

    Pancakes Friend

    Pyrate Contributor
    Joined:
    Aug 13, 2020
    Likes Received:
    1,417
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    Atl
    *This* pervasive garbage yes. I'm just venting about the internet in general.
     
  6. joch

    joch Friend

    Pyrate Contributor
    Joined:
    Oct 8, 2015
    Likes Received:
    1,397
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    the other side of the big ocean
    Wait till the AI generated contents become pervasive. It might be an even worse echo chamber of bad advice or misinformation then.
     
    • Agreed, ditto, +1 Agreed, ditto, +1 x 2
    • Like Like x 1
    • List
  7. Pancakes

    Pancakes Friend

    Pyrate Contributor
    Joined:
    Aug 13, 2020
    Likes Received:
    1,417
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    Atl
    Yup. Misinformation supercharged.

    The other thing that saddens me is reading through classically respected publications and having to wade through 5th grade level grammar, punctuation, run on sentences, etc.
     
    • Agreed, ditto, +1 Agreed, ditto, +1 x 3
    • List
  8. fastfwd

    fastfwd Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Aug 29, 2019
    Likes Received:
    993
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    Silicon Valley
    Get used to it. Nobody cares enough to pay copyeditors adequately, so it's never going to get any better.
     
    Last edited: Feb 2, 2023
  9. Pancakes

    Pancakes Friend

    Pyrate Contributor
    Joined:
    Aug 13, 2020
    Likes Received:
    1,417
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    Atl
    Well I'm used to it now. But it's still a sad state of affairs.
     
    • Agreed, ditto, +1 Agreed, ditto, +1 x 2
    • List
  10. GoodEnoughGear

    GoodEnoughGear Evil Dr. Shultz‎

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Oct 25, 2015
    Likes Received:
    3,070
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Cape Town, South Africa
    The medium is shifting, too. There are some excellent content creators out there, the likes of DC Rainmaker for fitness devices and so on. It's not all doom and gloom, it's just that every asshole and bot has a platform now.
     
  11. nishan99

    nishan99 Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Dec 1, 2019
    Likes Received:
    1,617
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    Layla
    That's why I think Youtube is the future for trade journalism.

    At least on YT usually there is face behind the content, a one face that takes all the accountability.
    Also on a video usually you can better tell if someone is genuine or not. Also the likes/views ratio and the comments can tell about the quality of the content.

    Also the new generation aren't thrilled to read any more or even watch longer videos, seems like all younger youth have ADHD.
     
    • Like Like x 1
    • Agreed, ditto, +1 Agreed, ditto, +1 x 1
    • List
  12. Stuff Jones

    Stuff Jones Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Feb 3, 2016
    Likes Received:
    1,790
    Trophy Points:
    113
     
  13. Hrodulf

    Hrodulf Prohibited from acting as an MOT until year 2050

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 28, 2015
    Likes Received:
    4,276
    Trophy Points:
    113
    How much are you willing to pay for a decent article in your hobby of choice?
     
    • Epic Epic x 3
    • Like Like x 2
    • Agreed, ditto, +1 Agreed, ditto, +1 x 1
    • List
  14. Armaegis

    Armaegis Friend

    Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2015
    Likes Received:
    7,464
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Winnipeg
    I don't mind all the bunk "top10" review pages, but I take it for what it is... a starting point. If I'm staring down the barrel of a new rabbithole, I simply don't know any of the jargon or brand names offhand. Skim the top10 page, read the "critical" review on amazon, then use your newfound knowledge to find the actual review sites for the gear in question.
     
  15. MrChinaCat

    MrChinaCat New

    Contributor
    Joined:
    Jul 1, 2018
    Likes Received:
    81
    Trophy Points:
    13
    Location:
    Rochester
    Ah, but you see, 90% of everything is crap. (Sturgeon’s Law). Especially journalism. Even with the best of intentions, they are rarely subject-matter masters. Articles about my area of technical expertise make me realize that they must be just as clueless about other complicated technical matters.
     
  16. Pancakes

    Pancakes Friend

    Pyrate Contributor
    Joined:
    Aug 13, 2020
    Likes Received:
    1,417
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    Atl
    I never put a number on it. Once upon a time when I could go to Border's and buy magazines I paid whatever the price was on the cover. But the quality of the few of those that remain has gone down as well.
     
  17. joch

    joch Friend

    Pyrate Contributor
    Joined:
    Oct 8, 2015
    Likes Received:
    1,397
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    the other side of the big ocean
    You know, it's probably always like this with bad writing and sometimes meandering dribble, but only these days it seems worse because anyone can publish anything anytime. And in the age of emojis and truncated word texting, grammar and diction are secondary. Add the convenience of the internet, proper investigation or research is just something you have to do if you can't find it in wikipedia or get beyond the first couple of pages of paid advertisement results from google. Yes, it's great that anybody can publish their masterpiece, and yes it's the end of civilization because anybody can publish junk.

    And now we witness the further evolution (or devolution?) to TikTok and YouTube Shorts, Instagrammable content and tweetable Twits. Bad writing, suspect research, sloppy investigation and money-motivated advice repackaged to say something and signifying nothing. And soon we will input bad instructions for AI-gurgitation and get worse output.

    Yeah, it's all been done.

    Sorry for the meandering dribble.
     
  18. earnmyturns

    earnmyturns Smartest friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 25, 2016
    Likes Received:
    3,218
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Palo Alto
    Home Page:
    I subscribe to multiple print mags (including 2 backcountry skiing/mountaineering ones), one national newspaper, several written and spoken sources, and I voluntarily support a few others.

    BTW, if you are looking for serious ski gear reviews: https://blisterreview.com/
     
  19. JK47

    JK47 Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Oct 31, 2022
    Likes Received:
    2,021
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    Surf City USA
    Decent Mountain Bike info there too.
     

Share This Page