Asian American Identity, How Misinformation Spreads and Why Trump Was Right | Non-Obvious Insights #262

Dear Newsletterest,

As I write this I'm all packed and ready to take my first flight in more than a year. We were lucky to get our vaccinations already and I am curious to experience what travel has become. I'll share more about the experience next week.

In the meantime, my curated stories explore the roots of Asian American identity, why Bill Gates is secretly buying hundreds of thousands of acres of farm land, the truth about people who share misinformation and why Trump was right about the media needing him. Those stories and many others are just below, so enjoy this edition of the Non-Obvious Insights Newsletter!

The Surprising Reason People Share Misinformation (Hint: It's Not Bias or Political Beliefs)

Why do Americans decide to share certain news stories? Most of the time, we assume when someone shares a piece of misinformation, they are doing it to share deeply held beliefs. The truth may be somewhat more surprising. A new study found that that majority of people say that sharing true stories matter, but researchers discovered that "something about the social media context shifts people's attention away from caring about the truth, and onto the desire to get likes and signal their ideological affiliation." So people share stories they know to be untrue not necessarily because they believe them but rather because they want the attention. This should have us all worried.

Trump Was Right. The Media Does Seem To Really Need Him.

"Barely two months into the post-Trump era, news outlets are indeed losing much of the audience and readership they gained during his chaotic presidency. In other words, journalism’s Trump bump may be giving way to a slump."

The past two months have been a ratings cliff for many top tier news media. CNN viewership is down 45% from its previous high during and in the aftermath of the U.S. Election. Unable to count on the rage watching viewers, many media platforms are struggling to find a new path forward. When a boring and competent team took over the White House, apparently the only thing to write about is the President tripping over some stairs. Reading this, I had to wonder if perhaps this story and the decline is actually a good thing.

Why Bill Gates Is Quietly Buying So Much Farm Land

Bill Gates is America's largest owner of farm land and he's done it mostly under the radar. Last week, he was asked about it during a live chat and offered some clues about his thinking and what impact he feels owning that land might have in the fight against climate change. People are speculating about what he may be aiming to do with the land, but it seems clear from his latest comments and an investigative article that came out in January, that it may be a strategy to help promote more sustainable agriculture over the long term.

How Magazines Made Asian America

The birth of a subculture is a fascinating topic to unravel, and a timely article I read this week unpacks how Asian American culture was largely shaped in the nineties by a handful of magazines that defined an emerging genre. As the protests and conversation exploded this week around the #stopasianhate movement, this look back at the history of how magazines brought the Asian identity in America to life for first generation kids growing up in a new place hit a personal chord for me. Though most of these magazines didn't seem to include Indians as "Asian" -- I remember this desire to find my own identity and how that journey continues to be relevant today through programming like the newly announced Asian Enough podcast with John Cho and others.

Has the NFL Killed Television?

The way local television affiliates work and their relationship to their parent networks is a logic-defying maze, but this week on the heels of the 11 year NFL mega-deal announcement - it's worth breaking down. Tech expert Shelly Palmer offers a useful overview of what this NFL deal really means for all the players involved and why it might put the already struggling local TV station affiliate model out of business for good.

Even More Non-Obvious Stories ...

Every week, I find more stories than I'm able to write about in this newsletter. Here are a few worth a read if you have a bit of extra time this week:

How are these stories curated?

Every week I spend hours going through hundreds of stories in order to curate this email. Want to discuss how I could bring this thinking to your next event as a virtual speaker? Visit my speaking page >>

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Asian American Identity, How Misinformation Spreads and Why Trump Was Right | Non-Obvious Insights #262

The Surprising Reason People Share Misinformation (Hint: It's Not Bias or Political Beliefs)

Trump Was Right. The Media Does Seem To Really Need Him.

Why Bill Gates Is Quietly Buying So Much Farm Land

How Magazines Made Asian America

Has the NFL Killed Television?

Even More Non-Obvious Stories ...

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