I've thought about this more than I should but I think that the wonders of internet "channels" comes with a significant cost.
First, let me acknowledge the quasi-monopoly aspect -- it definitely constrained choice and filtered world events through the lens of their corporate overlords, the CIA dripped propaganda into discourse, etc.
But there was so much shared experience that that pretty much unified the US as a tribe. Conspiracies were passed around but were kind of like underground whispers. There was no Red vs Blue.
I'm not arguing to go back to those times, but in many ways the internet and more so, social media, is a deal with the devil.
First, let me acknowledge the quasi-monopoly aspect -- it definitely constrained choice and filtered world events through the lens of their corporate overlords, the CIA dripped propaganda into discourse, etc.
But there was so much shared experience that that pretty much unified the US as a tribe. Conspiracies were passed around but were kind of like underground whispers. There was no Red vs Blue.
I'm not arguing to go back to those times, but in many ways the internet and more so, social media, is a deal with the devil.