iN DISCUSSION: Stop giving our social media overlords so much power

This is where cold hard facts give way to the hottest of takes, mostly mine I suppose. I’m the editor, Marshall Jones.

Want to include yours? Listen, this isn’t the comment section, this isn’t social media. Discussion and debate requires context and a wee bit of bravery — we need your name and where you’re writing from. Include it in your account or email me anytime.

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Why aren’t young people interested in local news?

News isn’t for everybody. I wish it was, but it isn’t.

Some people just aren’t interested, like young people for example.

Various news media have tried and honestly expected to succeed over my years at attracting the eyeballs of teens and young adults. 

They were shocked that municipal tax cuts and pre-election stories couldn’t compete against music and cars and sports and schools and grades and parties and drugs and boys and girls and pimples and puberty for their attention.

Nowadays the conventional wisdom is to take news where the young folks are: Tiktok or SnapChat or whatever. We’ll see, I guess, but I have my doubts.

People don’t value news until they realize they’ve got skin in a game they didn’t know they were playing. Knowing the rules and when and how they change is a value proposition. Ignorance is expensive. 

Then maybe you start caring about your community, province and country and the directions they take and realize you want a say in this too. 

Suddenly a proposed 8% tax increase isn’t boring. That politician breaking rules demands some attention. They could use your help cleaning that park your future kids will play in.

That’s just not going to be interesting to everybody.

The temptation is always to make news something it’s not so you get a larger audience. News doesn’t need to be boring but it isn’t sexy. It isn’t entertainment. Try too hard to make it those things and I think you lose the thing I like the most, the most valuable thing news has.

A community of people who give a damn.

Mj

Marshall Jones

Managing Editor

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Why I’m not excited by the Artemis II mission

I should be a lot more excited about the Artemis II mission.

It’s space! The moon! Toilet problems requiring unique engineering solutions! Literally the stuff of movies. 

I hope you are excited about it. I just can’t use rose-coloured glasses to celebrate this. Not when everything down here on earth is tainted orange.

I have no appetite for cheering American exceptionalism — even with a lovely Canadian onboard. Not while they continue their Might Makes Right Tour of oil-rich nations for kicks and giggles, keep the rest of us up at night waiting to see if they will annihilate civilizations for the Art of the Deal.

Nope, when I look to the heavens these days, it’s certainly not in wonder at what our technical marvels may produce for us.

Except to wish they could beam me out of here.

Hey, how are you doing? Crazy times, eh? Want to chat about it? Email me at mjones@infonews.ca.

Mj

Marshall Jones

Managing Editor

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Check out this new Canadian-owned social media platform

Regular readers here will know my disdain for our social media overlords, Facebook and X.com, etc. 

The problem isn’t just that they’re owned by megabillionaires or that they bait-and-switched us all on their platforms, it’s not just that they are predatory to competitors and children and good information and they seem to hate their own users. 

The problem is the power we continually give them with our time and attention, in part perhaps because there are no alternatives. I often wonder why someone doesn’t just re-create the Facebook we signed up for originally — easier connection between family and friends and acquaintances.

I keep waiting for active alternatives that won’t allow bots, for example. One that bills itself as algorithm-free, huh? What if we had social media that discouraged misinformation and hate speech and stuff?

Well here’s one, a Canadian one, in fact. I just signed up for it. I like that it’s limited to Canadians, no kids. Might take some time to mature, but it’s a start.

How are you feeling about social media these days? Email me at mjones@infonews.ca. 

Mj

Marshall Jones

Managing Editor

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iN RESPONSE

Rustad says ‘dirty trick’ by BC United may have cost Conservatives election victory

WOW should we be surprised? Do you really want to support a party involved in dirty tricks and includes people of questionable views and questionable moral judgment?

— Bonnie Derry via iNFOnews.ca

City of Kelowna won’t open the gates as lakefront hotel locks public out of boardwalk

This has gone on for far too long. The City has a duty to stand up for the taxpayers of Kelowna. So to compelling them to open it. Seek special costs so that this sort of action by Argus Properties is not just a cost of doing business. This is appalling behaviour by a long time business. I have stayed at the Hotel Eldorado more than once but I will not be doing so again until this is addressed.

— William Mastop via iNFOnews.ca

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Tara Armstrong Recall Countdown

Tara Armstrong is currently the MLA for Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream. She rode the coattails of the BC Conservative Party, got elected, then rejected and left the party to serve as an Independent within weeks because the Conservatives were too left wing. Now she gets to claim that her riding supports her.

Elections BC says you can recall an MLA if 40% of eligible voters in the riding sign a recall petition — but not for the first 18 months after an election. Some people started an online petition calling for a byelection once she made a shift to independent, then got herself a raise by forming her own party, but it won’t mean anything until the countdown clock hits zero.

So let the countdown begin!

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Disclaimer: Any views, thoughts, and opinions expressed on this page are solely those of the writer and does not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of the editor, iNFOnews.ca, iNFOTEL MULTIMEDIA, its partners, principals or advertisers.