Information age leads to nosiness

We almost need to know too much. In the media, moral dilemmas arise because of the nature of American business practice.

The law of supply and demand says if the demand rises, but the supply doesn’t, a shortage occurs.

For example, the NFL has grown to become a billion dollar business. The popularity of the league is higher than it has ever been, and the fans want more and more access to their respective teams each year.

If the supply weren’t so high, the shortage of information would hurt the amount of potential money the league can earn.

As a result, there are television packages for games, a television network for the league and year-round coverage from all news organizations. There is always new information on your team, and if there is not, disappointment ensues.

Casual fans are so enamored with the college draft now that the event itself is glamorized, and shown during primetime hours. What made this glamorization clearer has been the recent draft coverage the NFL Network does. The never-ending mock drafts, speculation and TV shows feed right into the information monster.

The professional combine, a showcase for future NFL players’ jockeying for draft position, is a dog show. The players run, jump, throw and catch in various drills, hoping to impress potential employers.... all under the spotlight of network television.

There is a camera on every athlete in the most crowd-pleasing drills. As soon as a player gets done running, there is an analyst or former player breaking down every step they took.

What if Manti Te’o ran .2 seconds too slow because he just wasn’t on his game that day? Better yet, he could have struggled because he knew everyone was watching and judging him, waiting for him slip.

Fifteen years ago, half of the NFL fan base did not know the combine existed; now everyone is a critic. Knowledge can be a drug, and it feeds people’s pockets, but to what expense are we going to have it?

There was an episode of “True Life” on MTV that profiled three young users of heroin. The stories were roller coaster rides through the lives of people dealing with bad drug habits.

Why are we even watching it? Would we rather watch people destroy their lives than help save them?

There is a right for the public to know the dangers to things, but the morality of a video crew watching this happen is the sacrifice.

It begs the question of how much information is too much. It seems like we are getting too involved in others’ privacy, but maybe that is just the way we are going in society.