The medium may not be the message, but the marketing certainly is.
In the wake of Donald Trump's election, the news and entertainment media have doubled down on the notion that this is a time like no other, a time of standing firm against fears. "Now more than ever" the public must view these films, watch these shows, read these books and newspapers.
Ads for everything from cars to whitening strips have long tried to convince us that consumption is a socially significant, even revolutionary act, but never before has media marketing tried so hard to leverage the notion of justice. ("Loving" is a film America "needs to see now.")
Meanwhile, attempting to cut through the din of fake, hacked or badly interpreted information, news platforms (including my paper) have tweaked their ad campaigns to reflect this. "Journalism that matters. More essential than ever," reads the New York Times website, "Support quality journalism" reads my own.
Even music has picked up the standard. A rock documentary CNN aired on New Year's Day was simply titled "Now More Than Ever: The History of Chicago."
