Read on Twitter
I want to talk a bit about the news cycle and why @lingthusiasm doesn't participate in it
This is a thread https://twitter.com/lingthusiasm/status/1245885364541296643
This is a thread https://twitter.com/lingthusiasm/status/1245885364541296643
We launched @lingthusiasm in 2016
Anyone remember 2016? *hollow laugh*
So, we had to make a decision about how much news and current events we were going to engage with, pretty much immediately
Anyone remember 2016? *hollow laugh*
So, we had to make a decision about how much news and current events we were going to engage with, pretty much immediately
And what @superlinguo and I decided was, hey, we're a linguistics podcast.
People have lots of other places to get the news. Places that do a lot better job at the news than two linguists.
It's great that news places exist, but not all places have to be about current events.
People have lots of other places to get the news. Places that do a lot better job at the news than two linguists.
It's great that news places exist, but not all places have to be about current events.
Some people cope with newsfeeds full of fresh horrors by posting cute animal photos or beautiful art
And these are fine too! But personally I don't find that they distract me for long enough
What I need is ideas, things to think about, to analyze, to dive into, to pull apart
And these are fine too! But personally I don't find that they distract me for long enough
What I need is ideas, things to think about, to analyze, to dive into, to pull apart
I can't be the only one who wants to find my distractions from the news cycle down Wikipedia rabbit holes and reading the entire archive of a random blog or diving into the back episodes of nerdy podcasts or watching "how to make stuff" youtube channels
I can't be, right??
I can't be, right??
I can't be the only person who finds calm in planning things and thinking about sequences of steps and understanding the world around me and watching competent people be joyful and competent and experimental at the thing they love
I can't be, right??
I can't be, right??
I mean, I don't want to be that person who comes out against animal pictures because I'm pretty sure it would get me cancelled by the entire internet
But like, not to get "me, an intellectual" about it, they just don't work that well on me! https://twitter.com/sidebysideralis/status/1247649673847943169
But like, not to get "me, an intellectual" about it, they just don't work that well on me! https://twitter.com/sidebysideralis/status/1247649673847943169
So, cute animal gifs are a recognized way of providing an alternative source of wholesome distraction from the news cycle at its worst
But I had this hypothesis that I wasn't alone, that other people would also prefer their distraction in the form of nerdery
But I had this hypothesis that I wasn't alone, that other people would also prefer their distraction in the form of nerdery
So when we started @lingthusiasm, we decided that it wasn't a news podcast, it was a nerdy distraction from the news
And also we wanted people to be able to go back and listen to the archives years later without getting out-of-place reminders of current events
And also we wanted people to be able to go back and listen to the archives years later without getting out-of-place reminders of current events
This isn't to say that it's always sunshine and roses on the podcast
Language and linguistics has its issues of discrimination and colonialism and we try to acknowledge those as they come up
But those are perennial issues, not news-cycle issues
Language and linguistics has its issues of discrimination and colonialism and we try to acknowledge those as they come up
But those are perennial issues, not news-cycle issues
And here we are four (not exactly un-stressful) years later, with another terrible event constantly in the news for weeks and months https://twitter.com/tinysubversions/status/1247647345056964608
What I'm hearing from media friends and from non-media friends is so diametrically opposed that I feel like I want to say something about it https://twitter.com/sidebysideralis/status/1247651595510263811
Media friends: we need to find a virus angle on everything or else we'll seem irrelevant and out of touch
Non-media friends: I am skipping all the Special Virus Edition episodes of my favourite podcasts and news sites, I just can't take any more of it, please, ANYTHING ELSE
Non-media friends: I am skipping all the Special Virus Edition episodes of my favourite podcasts and news sites, I just can't take any more of it, please, ANYTHING ELSE
People recognize the usefulness of cute pics, beautiful art, mindless phone games, stress-baking, soothing youtube videos…
I guess I just want to say that linguistics and other nerdery is also a coping strategy, and it's okay to be someone who makes it https://twitter.com/amyhoy/status/1247654886163922944
I guess I just want to say that linguistics and other nerdery is also a coping strategy, and it's okay to be someone who makes it https://twitter.com/amyhoy/status/1247654886163922944
This is delightful, I ABSOLUTELY want to read about rice cup measurements rather than Yet More Rehashed Virus Takes https://twitter.com/Randy_Au/status/1247656118920380417
I appreciate the experts on this topic, I am not one of them, and odds are some of the experts ALSO are the kinds of people who occasionally need downtime by engaging with obscure nerdy topics https://twitter.com/amyhoy/status/1247656259492306944
Let's start a thread, please contribute your links to your latest favourite non-news nerdy deep-dive or one that you find perpetually fascinating and send people to a lot
I'll start with @lingthusiasm, which is all linguistics and zero current events https://twitter.com/El_Silvero/status/1247656762578284546
I'll start with @lingthusiasm, which is all linguistics and zero current events https://twitter.com/El_Silvero/status/1247656762578284546
I basically spent the entire time I was writing Because Internet under a terrible news cycle wondering why any of it mattered
But now that it's out, people tag me in it telling me that it gave them a much-needed break
arts and sciences matter https://twitter.com/cydereal/status/1247657328301592577
But now that it's out, people tag me in it telling me that it gave them a much-needed break
arts and sciences matter https://twitter.com/cydereal/status/1247657328301592577
A few weeks ago, we seemed to need permission to expect less of ourselves and each other, to not work like normal, to not communicate in our usual styles
Now we're settling into the new normal, we might also need permission to not make everything about it https://twitter.com/GretchenAMcC/status/1241108181557936128
Now we're settling into the new normal, we might also need permission to not make everything about it https://twitter.com/GretchenAMcC/status/1241108181557936128
Totally! I honestly really enjoy recording at the moment because it's some of the longest stretches of time that I get to go without thinking about it! And I expect listeners find the same https://twitter.com/AvenSarah/status/1247662068209197058
Exactly the kind of interesting rabbit hole I'm thinking of!
(PS: @alieward, if anything internet linguistics would count as an ology, I'd be totally down for a crossover episode!) https://twitter.com/tale_of_the_fox/status/1247660046369959937
(PS: @alieward, if anything internet linguistics would count as an ology, I'd be totally down for a crossover episode!) https://twitter.com/tale_of_the_fox/status/1247660046369959937
That's a good approach too, something everyone is thinking about but in a way that'll pull you into thinking about it in a nerdy deep-dive way rather than making people more worried https://twitter.com/fionajvoss/status/1247658210195980288
PS: if you've already listened to all the main episodes of @lingthusiasm and want yet more linguistics content that's not about the news, you can get access to dozens of additional bonus episodes here: https://twitter.com/lingthusiasm/status/1245424481658712067
