EOTO #2: Alternativity is Subjective.

I have such a gripe with the term "alternative."

For audiophiles like myself, many people like to claim they listen to "alternative music." This meaning music outside the mainstream. Yet, they cite their favorite alternative artists as Oasis, Phish, and most notoriously, the Red Hot Chili Peppers. I burn inside, knowing that artists who have sold millions of albums, sold out arenas internationally, and are world famous for their art, are in no way alternative. At one point, perhaps they were; but no longer 

I write this anecdote because the world of alternative media is in a similar identity crisis; but why?

More than ever, the American public has lost faith in their traditional media stalwarts; Fox and CNN used to be the three letters that defined the American news cycle; now, a bit more than a punchline. 

So what has happened in their wake? New sites have risen, and new sources of media emerged. Some for better, and some for worse. None the less, alternative media has seen an explosion in terms of popularity in the 21st century, due to both the rise of social media, and the simultaneous fall of traditional media. 

Sites such as the Daily Wire emerged with a new message; for fans tired of the subliminal conservative messaging on Fox, they can now consume a source where the curtain is back, and conservatives can consume hardline news that fits their agenda.

The most trusted names in media are no longer clean shaven men and glammed up women in suits on TV screens; they're MMA commentators who smoke weed in their basement, and tin-foil wearing conspiracy theorists. Is this good or bad for media as a whole? Only time will tell. 

I write longingly because the days of alternative media are nearing their end; these products are not going anywhere, of course; just the title in front of them. 

As big corporations lose their grip on the "InfoWars" (pun intended), and new faces and brands rise and grow in power, it may be time to bid adieu to this generation of "alternative media."

Because they are real close to taking center stage. 

https://www.mediamatters.org/donald-trump/look-incestuous-alternative-media-echo-chamber-winning-over-online-audiences

https://fortune.com/2023/02/15/trust-in-media-low-misinform-mislead-biased-republicans-democrats-poll-gallup/