An Equation

The market for something to believe in is infinite* + facts and resoning are ways people justify their already-held irrational, emotional beliefs**= The role of TV news and the role of Advertising, intertwined as they are, today.

Explanations. The first term, which I think can be used as a constant in any "equation" describing human behavior, is simple: People want to believe, badly. (careful where ye put that comma) I think what makes this phrasing so apt is the treatment as a market. I am selling a THING, it's main feature is that it is SOMETHING TO BELIEVE IN. The actual content isn't important outside of it's function as being a thing to believe in. Think of it in terms of survivability. Those that are things to believe in that appeal to broader samples of hosts, live and multiply and prosper. And eat brains. Sweet sweet brains.

Term 2 just describes the normal mode of functioning for people.


News and Advertising, indie and mainstream, have evolved into the right side of this equation.




* This is one of those things that I ran across that struck me as not just true, but very true. The other stuff on Hugh Macleod's site is good, but not as good as this.

** this is my own synthesis of several things that've drifted across my transom in the past few years. I swear there was a study that seemed to point to actual experimental evidence of this, but I can't find it right now.