Being “up to date” beyond a certain point - that is, being aware of all of the latest tweets, news stories, stock quotes, etcetera - can actually hurt one’s understanding of the universe. This is partially explained by the lingering impact of misinformation. In trying to get a story first, publishers - whether old-line media or your brother-in-law on twitter - will inevitably get some facts wrong. Journalism is, after all, the first draft of history - and citizen journalism even more so.

If this is true, it’s exciting - the New York Times is now generating more revenue from subscribers than it is from advertisers. My only worry is that they’re doing this by publishing more crappy click bait to social media; I’ve clicked through on stories a few times lately, only to find what I’d charitably describe as nicely edited, reworded press releases. This article about ebay from Saturday was a prime example.