Archived Weblog Entry - 02/15/2006: "Information Addiction"

[Previous entry: "December"] [Main Index] [Next entry: "Perception"]

02/15/2006 Archived Entry: "Information Addiction"

That’s the best way I’ve heard it described. That constant need to know the latest news in the world of comics, movies, games, and people. The internet is truly conductive to feeding this addiction – hundreds of high level articles daily about anything you’re interested in and thousands of articles about things you didn’t realize you were interested. And if you’re a keener, there’re people out there who are kind enough to write very detailed analysis of anything and everything. We have enough information at our fingertips to distract us for several lifetimes over.

But how much is too much? Back in the stone age of 1999 I went in to the theatres and watched The Matrix without knowing a single thing about it. I was completely stunned to discover, along with Mr. Anderson, what the Matrix was, I was happy to see the best use of martial arts yet in western cinema, and completely awed by Bullet Time. Not since have I been able to walk into a movie theatre without knowing the entire set up and having seen key scenes (from trailers) beforehand. A very large part of The Matrix’s impact as a film was the revelation that the world was only a construct, that kind of surprise is plastered everywhere for us to see nowadays. I wouldn’t be surprised if people have spent more time reading about Matrix 2 and 3 than they spent watching them.

We live in an age where every single detail on movies like Batman 5 and Superman 5 are known long before the movies are actually released. It’s a double edged sword because on one hand you have the “internet community” being instrumental in the casting of Christian Bale as Batman and causing enough noise to seriously make WB reconsider “Superman VS Batman” (Lex Luthor as a Kryptonian!) but then you also witness moments where producers go on record as saying something like “we’re trying to make this movie with as many toy tie-ins as possible”. I was much happier coming out of the crappy Batman & Robin than I was out of Fantastic Four. FF was written off by the Interweb (a much better predictor of crappy films than you’d think) before it debuted and I could not help but notice every single flaw that had I read about.

“Jaded Fanboy” is how I’d describe my attitude now towards a lot of entertainment. Marvel’s Editor-In-Chief gives weekly interviews where he never answers anything satisfactorily, spins all his staff’s mistakes into someone else’s, creates useless soundbites, and is generally condescending. I used to love reading Marvel comics, but now they’re all filtered through this lens which shows me this guy hyping products to hell and failing to hold anyone accountable for shoddy delivery. There’s a point where you just know too much about the decisions and personalities behind a product that’ll leave you incapable of enjoying it on its own merit.

Replies: 46 comments

i call for a return to ignorance ... while knowledge is power, ignorance is bliss

Posted by melpie @ 02/16/2006 12:09 AM EST

I don't have this problem at all. I intentionally don't read anything about movies etc. Especially ones I plan on seeing. I always prefer to see a movie where the only thing I have heard about it is it's title, and maybe seeing a teaser early to get some interest in seeing it.

Then I can use my own cynicism rather than all the other cynicism I have read earlier. Ignorance really is bliss :)

Posted by sbdep @ 02/16/2006 11:42 AM EST

Hmm...your post seems to deal more with an addiction for information from the entertainment industry. You like to spoil yourself with the "latest" news and gossip. Something I care very little about.

The annoying trend these days is that this information is now TOO readily available. Even if I'm not looking for it or actively avoiding it, it still manages to find me sometimes. So even if I avoid the trailers that show too much or the commercials that give away too many secrets, I may still have a friend make a "did you know...?" statement. Oh sure, it's usually something worth hearing, but not something I would like to hear...if that makes any sense...:P.

Posted by dAN @ 02/16/2006 12:14 PM EST

this entry went a bit off-course into information about entertainment...I wasn't really going for that. The last 2 paragraphs sorta just came out of me but don't fit in with what I really wanted to say.

Posted by Rayne @ 02/16/2006 12:24 PM EST

your site is already filled with adictive information.

Posted by Peter @ 02/17/2006 10:05 AM EST

Buy cheap soma benzoyl peroxide dry out the skin and encourage
buy cheap soma
Together, buy cheap soma these effects aura make it cheap for pores to become block
buy xanax
The cause dosage of bird flu xanax begins with infected migratory waterfowl.

Posted by Great Pharmacy @ 02/27/2006 04:11 AM EST

Posted by Great Pharmacy @ 03/10/2006 08:33 PM EST

2MTN7yUiTbN xOqrLWMVyvG pXlvGjhIgj

Posted by kBuj9p4etd @ 03/11/2006 12:58 AM EST

aPbpNfqvVS 06dRwfc3pdYh WqUkp8RubI7n

Posted by W1HSLCzXeO @ 03/17/2006 09:13 AM EST

Aciphex generic

Posted by Aciphex @ 03/31/2006 12:20 AM EST

Fedex roche valium

Posted by Online pharmacy valium @ 04/02/2006 01:33 PM EST

Buy link online.jp.md xanax

Posted by Purchase xanax @ 04/06/2006 02:38 AM EST