Early this month I managed to finish reading Ryan Holiday piece of work about his confession on how the online media works. From blog, online news to media manipulation that happening everyday in our life.
In contrast with the printed material that usually run through some serious checking and editing, online media publishing without having to run through that tedious process, even if it has, it is rather a loose one.
Having said that, this give a rise to an iterative journalism that cited previous work without fact checking, the story grew and exaggerated further as it goes up the chain. When it reach us, its already a sensationalize, exaggerated, and mostly distorted fact.
This so called fact is the unreality, but public opinion that it shape is far more than real, the masses that it create is real and physical. The book gave a good perspective on what we perceive as news and fact.
I would recommend this book for your reading, especially if you’re involved in the online media business.
Check out Trust Me, I’m Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator by Ryan Holiday.