Befuddled, once-great broadsheet, the NY Times, five years too late to party…
I’m always a little confused by the way mainstream media likes to refer to Millenials (those of us born between 1980 and 2000) as “young people.”
I was born in 1980, I’m 35 years old, far closer to middle aged than “young.”
I suppose it makes sense in the context of The New York Times, an archaic rag that earns its bread from an elder contingent too befuddled by internet tomfoolery to figure out how to find information online. To those geriatric fucks, a generation that spent their adult years dismantling every social program they benefited from, we all seem young.
Today’s technology section circle jerk contains a fascinating examination of digital media, and how hip and new it is.
It’s the next big thing guys! Did you know kids use the interwebs to look at stuff? Videos of extreme action sports. So radical.
Why is this in The New York Times? How is it relevant at all? Why is something that’s old news being used as new news? Money. Or the supposed opportunity for people to grab a hold of some of it. Not the people who create it, of course. The people who distribute it.
“…as the audience grows beyond devotees, the opportunity arises to make videos and films with higher production values that fans are willing to pay for.”
Except probably not.
The driving force behind the majority of high quality surf and skate clips is advertising, something us “millenials” aren’t so hot on paying for any more. Pretty hard to monetize something I can, and will, easily torrent.
Even harder to get me to pay attention to an ad, a couple of clicks, a great little browser extension, and that shit’s gone. Red Bull gets it. They don’t try and charge for content, their whole gig is meant to make their addictive swill seem cool so they can hook little kids.
And it works. Very well. Add those of us who don’t drink the stuff get to see cool shit. It’s a win/win, except for the obese preteens with heart conditions, but who gives a fuck about those brats? Not me.
And we’re broke.
I mean, I’m not, I’m solid lower middle class, but that’s because I’m a kept man. But I was poor, not very long ago. So poor I couldn’t afford a cable subscription, something I only missed for a bit, and once it was gone I realized how much better my life had become. Like pills, basically. So good when you’re on ’em, so glad they’re gone when you aren’t.
The old way is dying, the new way won’t work. I refuse to pay a middle man for content. If Vimeo thinks I’ll give them a penny to watch videos other people sweat and bled for they’re even higher than I am right now.
People will pay a) if it’s good and b) they can’t get it free. I paid to watch High Maintenance on Vimeo a while back. Money well spent. And I bought a CD, fucking ages ago. And that’s about it since torrents came along.
“I suppose it makes sense in the context of The New York Times, an archaic rag that earns its bread from an elder contingent too befuddled by internet tomfoolery to figure out how to find information online. To those geriatric fucks, a generation that spent their adult years dismantling every social program they benefited from, we all seem young.”
This is just beyond dumb.
i guess we know whose over 40 in this discussion
Or who has a brain, reading comprehension, and even the vaguest awareness of the outside world.
http://www.merriam-webster….
The second I have to start paying a subscription for anything WSL related, I’m out.
If Dane or JJF wants to put a minute long Monster energy ad at the beginning or where in their next clip that’s fine. Same as those shitty Pacifico and Samsung ads.
I for one see these bash print pieces to be a rant over spilled milk…
So who pays for your writing Rory?
You can’t keep bleeding Dell for ever.
I can so.
You headhunting Longtom?
Nah, I’m more into Steinbeck than Ayn Rand.
But I’d love to see Rory renegotiate his terms and conditions with Dell.
Let Dell do the daily three to the beach heavy lifting, probs enough shark action around to cover that and let Rory and Chas go a bit more rogue and free-style, get ’em freed up from the daily grind out.
I’d rather read a thousand or three words from Rory or Chas about anything than a daily dose of something they clearly couldn’t give a flying fuck at a rolling doughnut about.
Early days Longtom…. Dell’s been grooming afew monkeys like myself behind the scenes to do the important stuff… You know the likes of new surf hair products, front-foot deckgrip reviews and interviews with the wives & girlfriends of the WQS surfers outside of the top 50.
That should free up Chas & Roz. Derek can then focus on the twitter feed.
Beachgrit are looking for someone to destroy the surf industry stooges for the sins of the past… You keen? you’ll need to keep the tone “chirpy” and keep in mind that the advertisers must be kept happy at all times.
How “chirpy” you talking? Like birds in the early hours of the day, or coming-down-and-outta-meth-gotta-find-more chirpy? I hate those second kind of fuckers, they hang out in the alley by the grocery store while I’m trying to get my morning caffeine. Of course I have money, no you can’t have any.