Derek Thompson

I think it plays an enormous role. I could spend all sorts of time criticizing institutional media, but the truth is I think this is a demand problem, which is to say it's an audience problem fundamentally. I think that most people want news that makes them feel a sense of fluency. Fluency is this term from psychology that has a very specific meaning.

I think it plays an enormous role. I could spend all sorts of time criticizing institutional media, but the truth is I think this is a demand problem, which is to say it's an audience problem fundamentally. I think that most people want news that makes them feel a sense of fluency. Fluency is this term from psychology that has a very specific meaning.

It's not like being able to speak Spanish very well or English very well. Fluency refers to a style of metacognition, a feeling that we have about thinking. I have a personal theory that might be wrong, but it's just my theory, that what most people want from news is fluency. What they want from their news is a feeling that is adjacent to entertainment,

It's not like being able to speak Spanish very well or English very well. Fluency refers to a style of metacognition, a feeling that we have about thinking. I have a personal theory that might be wrong, but it's just my theory, that what most people want from news is fluency. What they want from their news is a feeling that is adjacent to entertainment,

It's not like being able to speak Spanish very well or English very well. Fluency refers to a style of metacognition, a feeling that we have about thinking. I have a personal theory that might be wrong, but it's just my theory, that what most people want from news is fluency. What they want from their news is a feeling that is adjacent to entertainment,

that the thoughts that they have when they're consuming that news make them feel good. Maybe it makes them feel a good kind of curiosity. Maybe it makes them feel a good kind of self-righteousness. Maybe it makes them feel a good kind of anger or outrage.

that the thoughts that they have when they're consuming that news make them feel good. Maybe it makes them feel a good kind of curiosity. Maybe it makes them feel a good kind of self-righteousness. Maybe it makes them feel a good kind of anger or outrage.

that the thoughts that they have when they're consuming that news make them feel good. Maybe it makes them feel a good kind of curiosity. Maybe it makes them feel a good kind of self-righteousness. Maybe it makes them feel a good kind of anger or outrage.

But what they want is that sense of fluency, and that sense of fluency tends to come from media that we agree with, that doesn't make us feel this disfluent sense of someone who I trust to be on my side is now saying something that's not on my side. I don't like that feeling. And then I also think that the news itself, you know, we can't let ourselves off the hook.

But what they want is that sense of fluency, and that sense of fluency tends to come from media that we agree with, that doesn't make us feel this disfluent sense of someone who I trust to be on my side is now saying something that's not on my side. I don't like that feeling. And then I also think that the news itself, you know, we can't let ourselves off the hook.

But what they want is that sense of fluency, and that sense of fluency tends to come from media that we agree with, that doesn't make us feel this disfluent sense of someone who I trust to be on my side is now saying something that's not on my side. I don't like that feeling. And then I also think that the news itself, you know, we can't let ourselves off the hook.

If the people who are reading the New York Times or reading the Atlantic or listening to NPR feel like they don't understand, you know, the most important political movement of this time, which clearly is the Donald Trump movement. He's the president. It's Republicans who control the Senate.

If the people who are reading the New York Times or reading the Atlantic or listening to NPR feel like they don't understand, you know, the most important political movement of this time, which clearly is the Donald Trump movement. He's the president. It's Republicans who control the Senate.

If the people who are reading the New York Times or reading the Atlantic or listening to NPR feel like they don't understand, you know, the most important political movement of this time, which clearly is the Donald Trump movement. He's the president. It's Republicans who control the Senate.

Well, clearly, the media, institutional media, we have failed to teach or reflect some kind of truth about our nation to the people who rely on us to understand the truth of our nation. And I suppose to connect all of this back to the antisocial century, we all need to get out a little bit more.

Well, clearly, the media, institutional media, we have failed to teach or reflect some kind of truth about our nation to the people who rely on us to understand the truth of our nation. And I suppose to connect all of this back to the antisocial century, we all need to get out a little bit more.

Well, clearly, the media, institutional media, we have failed to teach or reflect some kind of truth about our nation to the people who rely on us to understand the truth of our nation. And I suppose to connect all of this back to the antisocial century, we all need to get out a little bit more.

And if we want to be appropriate and wise consumers of news, we want to be wise consumers of news that make us sometimes feel a little bit uncomfortable about the future.

And if we want to be appropriate and wise consumers of news, we want to be wise consumers of news that make us sometimes feel a little bit uncomfortable about the future.

And if we want to be appropriate and wise consumers of news, we want to be wise consumers of news that make us sometimes feel a little bit uncomfortable about the future.