Ready to learn the most important takeaways from Amusing Ourselves to Death in less than two minutes? Keep reading!

Why This Book Matters:

Amusing Ourselves to Death explains the evolution of media to keep up with the habits of individuals and how the invention of the television as a leading source of consumption has led the seriousness of events into a competition for the best showman.

The Big Takeaways:

  1. What we believe to be correct has shifted with the use of technology at the core of our communication
    1. If The truth digital media portrays is now seen as more reliable than word of mouth because that is the direction our means of communication has shifted.
  2. The print was once the primary source of information for the general public.
    1. The American people were once just as amused by reading as people are about television today.
  3. The emergence of pictorial stories led to the mass desire for visual storytelling.
    1. Today’s culture is formed of pictures and videos that show information with little to no context.
  4. With the help of TVs came the birth of debate as a source of pleasure.
    1. The flashiness of television takes away the seriousness of media and gives the most audience to whoever can run the best show.
  5. TV warps serious matters into a popularity contest.
    1. Things like politics and religion are almost seen as a joke as they attempt to play into the popularity contest that is mainstream media.

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