What We Read

The age of The Gadget, that in which we exist today, has the potential to inform our perspective of the world in new and interesting ways.

My gadget of choice, an iPod Touch, is many things:

• My music collection in its entirety
• My Bible and at least thirty commentaries
• My daily newspaper
• At least 20-odd board games
• My diary and personal organiser
• My alarm clock
• My breviary (a prayer book)
• A collection of books that I am reading
• The internet
• My emailer
• A photo album
• A radio
• A notepad
• A one-stop entertainment centre for my children
• ... and assorted other things. 

The thing is small enough to fit into my shirt pocket, is by no means the most up-to-date of such gadgets, but is my pride and joy. Bliss. 

It is only recently that is discovered that I could download the Independent newspaper to this thing, before I leave the house, and have it in my pocket to read later, and away from a signal. Bliss. It is about the Independent, and more particularly what it seems they regard as important material for us to read, that is my focus here.

It caught my attention yesterday, the ratios of articles on different subjects. It tells me something about what we Brits (and others) consider as important. I will list the numbers of articles according to the headings given, and will leave you to reflect on them as I still am:

• UK News - 53 articles
• World News - 58 articles
• Sport News - 59 articles (of which Football - 24 articles)
• Business - 50 articles
• Opinion - 30 articles
• Environment - 14 articles
• Travel - 12 articles
• Arts - 53 articles
• People - 1 article
• Politics - 26 articles
• Technology News - 13 articles

So, more column inches for technology than the environment; more for Sport than for most of the other sections combined; more for arts than business ... and so on. With paper news, it is impossible to make these head counts, but with Gadgetry, we can audit our reading wants, our interests, and the interests of our neighbours. Perhaps this is just 'interesting' rather than telling, and maybe not even interesting. Though it was worth observing, though!


Incidentally, so far as I have observed, issues and stories surrounding faith and spirituality (save for when they themselves are the headlines) are to be found in 'Opinion' section!