New Year Resolution: Read Less (Internet), Read More (Books)

Hooray, we did. The artificial construction that is the land year has increased a digit, and now we are in the two thousand and eighteen years since the birth of Christ, according to the accepted method of time maintenance for people around the world. Now that we have finished with its direct predecessor 2017, labeled and proclaimed as the worst year, on the return to do the same with 2016: with drinks too expensive, a common fascination with starting a new year implies setting personal guidelines for the Next 12 months aka Year end resolution.

New Year resolutions tend to last between a few weeks to less than two months, depending on which study you subscribe to. I do not particularly believe in the resolutions for the new year, which means that the owner of this piece is a kind of incorrect name. And in keeping with this spirit, I began to listen to my own advice - which I will do without the following paragraphs - from the first week of December (when I first thought it) instead of waiting for the date of the " # 39; January 1.

Internet, as we know it today, is one of the great inventions of humanity. It forms the basis of almost everything we do with our lives, to keep in touch with friends and family to learn more about the world; from spending countless hours on Netflix in search of a document, job interview or this same article; and to buy groceries in chat with Siri / Alexa / [insert your personal favourite digital assistant here] among a million other things.

Journalism is also reviewed, with fewer entry barriers that allow everyone and their uncle to enter the business. On the one hand, this is great news (forgive), as it helps democratize the configuration, weakens the power of the old guard and ensures that more voices can be heard. Sadly, the way of distributing and consuming news on the Internet has caused many problems.

Online articles earn or lose due to the great capture of their owners, unlike newspapers and magazines where the meat of the piece is adjacent to the title, and the design and size of the source are other determinants. And although copywriters and editors had more time to find out about the big issues of the day in print media (though not always), Internet media do not have this luxury, trapped in an endless cycle of news.

The effects of this year were no more pronounced than in 2017, when the American media, the largest, best-funded and influential of the lot, attended the nightmares and wishes of the public, reacting to the # 39; last blow of terrible news coming out of Washington, or snarky 5 amnesties delivered by President Trump on Twitter. "Look at this stupid # 4938o who said in January," "What happens to Republicans (again)", or "He is still defending the size of his / her hands / etc".

Unfortunately, much of the news analysis that was offered in the world of journalism with the Internet, especially in 2017, tended to be in the department of what I classify as "writing knees." Of course, you're doing a great brilliant job if you know where to look, but focusing on the feeds that prioritize current or recent popularity (children call it "virality") have given way to a constant drive of reactions and opinions that have no perspective and the greatest image.

That is why, in 2018, I have decided to keep the maximum possible from the daily news. (I am still an active member of the industry, so it is more difficult for me than for those who do not share my profession). Instead, I think it's best to spend my precious time with material that took months and years to come together, which will offer and allow me to deepen into ideas, concepts and characters that have been reflected or existing in the creator's mind for much more time

I'm talking about books. On the one hand, they do not try to win click-bait-y headlines (some yes, sure). But what is most important is that most of the works, whether fictional or non-fiction, are the result of considerable effort and time by authors and editors, who are not exploited of the terms offered to their counterparts in journalism. And because of this, they can offer an overview on the subject they intend to cover, taking into account the long-term effects and evolution in the way the news rarely can do so.

In addition to that, and this has become more necessary when most of the news is terrible, plunging in the stories is a good way to close the real world. I can escape into another alternative in which I do not have to worry about the risks of Aadhaar, the many ways that our planet involves, or the state of the infrastructure and traffic in Mumbai (the city ​​where I live) for a few hours. Great books not only help to get the mind out of things, but also provide values ​​to live and reflect on the life I address.

Of course, books are not the only medium that offer in-depth explorations. A great documentary or television series can do the same, and they also have their place. The big difference is that the books force you to be more active with your own thoughts, while visual content allows audiences to be passive in their consumption. Partly, why not everyone can read, first, including, the fate of a book for the month of 2017 was reduced in May.

But thanks to a renewed approach in the first week of December, motivated by all the best 2017 lists that came out, I managed to spend almost all the books last month than I did during the rest of the year. I have also formulated what I think is a somewhat more foolproof plan, tying my books to read with the adaptations of the movie and TV that must be paid in 2018. I can not guarantee that it works for everyone, but as an entertainment critic, I know what will take me.

Now all I need is more time and less distractions. Speaking of that, stop reading and go pick a book.

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