The Future of Media

It’s time we take a new look at media and news content. Let’s go back to ancient Athens, and more specifically, to the agora. The agora was the center of Athens, the town square- a place for political debate, dramatic performances, religious processions, and much more. In ancient Athens, if you had an idea or a new philosophy, you would bring that idea to the agora and preach it to the citizens. You would debate against other philosophies and theologies, defending your idea in front of the city.

Now look at our modern-day agora: the internet. How have we sectioned off the new town square? It seems that every viewpoint on the internet has become isolated by way of anger, lies, and manipulation. We have right-wing echo-chambers such as FOX News and Newsmax, along with left-wing propaganda outlets like CNN, MSNBC, and NPR. Maybe at one point in your life you trusted these outlets, maybe you still do, or maybe you’re like most Americans right now who can’t decide what to believe. The right-wing media preaches “free speech and debate” for the sake of advancing thought and finding truth. But when looking at FOX, OANN, and the like, you find that most of their contributors are in full agreement. How are new ideas supposed to surface if consensus is so easily found? Do you think Laura Ingraham and Sean Hannity really disagree on much? It doesn’t seem like it. And on the left, it’s much the same. CNN, MSNBC, VOX, and so many more are continually shouting opinions into left-wing echo chambers. What’s the problem? Or maybe you’ll let me ask this question instead: who is the problem?

The problem is you. The viewer, the reader, and the listener. The careless American who accepted mainstream media as the source of ultimate truth on news, current events, and political discourse. At one time in America, presidential debates would persist for over five hours (Lincoln vs Douglas, 1858). Now, we have hour-long presidential debates with five-minute ad breaks every ten minutes to feed the ever-decreasing attention span of the average American (eight seconds according to Time).

It’s time for a change and America is hungry for one; people are tired of being fed bite-sized pieces of filth labeled “news.” The past three years have shown us that America is ready for a different kind of media, a different kind of debate, and a different kind of discussion. The Joe Rogan Experience is the most popular podcast of the last few years, averaging 11 million listens per episode on a standard 2.5-hour show. People are waking up. They want discussion, they want long-form debate, and they want the truth.

America is longing for a different form of conversation. It isn’t new, but more so a return to that ancient approach that Athens applied. Build a forum where all ideas are truly welcomed and have them battle each other out in respectful, zealous debate. The best idea will always rise to the top. The best philosophy will always prove more logical than any other.

The reason this kind of debate isn’t practiced anymore is due to the public’s inability to converse. We have lost the heart of discussion and conversation. We live in a time of political and philosophical hysteria. People scream their ideas to the masses and rarely receive any pushback. But that can be changed.

So, what is Optiv Network? Optiv is that forum – the new town square, the refurbished debate hall. We are a new arena with the age-old charge: defend your words. The efforts of postmodern philosophy seek to reduce truth to a vapor of ambiguity, but truth can never be anything but concrete. Truth can be found, it can be seen, and it can transform the human mind, soul, and spirit. But it requires the individual, not the group, to start asking questions, thinking for themselves, and ultimately, formulating thoughts that become words and then actions.

Media is not the answer, politics is not the answer, and Optiv is not the answer. The answer is out there, and it’s time to find it.

Welcome to the Optiv Network.

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Andy Schmitt is an entrepreneur and the founder of the Optiv Network. He hosts the Optiv Theology Podcast and currently resides in Madison, WI with his wife and son.