Has the mainstream overrun ATS?

This is not a criticism of ATS (yet). It appears to me that there has been a shift in the population of ATS. I see more and more threads dedicated to proving "conspiracy" related theories and ideas to be false... Once And For All. But that alone didn't really solidify my suspicions of mainstream infiltration (if you will). I have never listened to ATS MIX until just last week, so I don't know it's history at all. What I do know is that I was very surprised when it began playing and I heard what seemed to me to be a standard, commercial, sound bitey, mainstream broadcast. Now this isn't necessarily a bad thing. One would think it may make it more appealing to a larger audience and thus expose more people to alternative thinking and topics. In spite of this possibility, if I'm really honest, I am forced to admit that it really made my stomach turn - to the point that I couldn't really listen to it. So, all things considered, are we under attack by the mainstream? Does anyone else see this possibility? Or am I just too unrealistic in my entertainment of ideas and too A.M. radio in my taste?

oh yeah, I also am getting a feeling of "cookie cutter conspiracy theory" from a number of threads. I don't know if I'm being clear enough but... ya know?


[edit on 8/8/2008 by verbal kint]

reply to post by verbal kint


I can't speak on behalf of ATS, but within the ideologies and doctrines of any marginal group is not to remain marginalized by definition.
Some avant-guarde communities equate the idea of the "mainstream" as a "sellout".
I do not believe this is the case here on ATS. In fact I think it is the opposite. We welcome new members on a daily basis and try to expand our reach. Most of us here would love to see the day when UFOs and secret societies are legitimate topics within our society, as commonly discussed as the economy or politics.
This is not a sell out, it is in fact closer to a mission statement.
Now I'm sure some like the idea of ATS as our little secret world where we can talk about the "mainstream" and rebel against it. But I don't believe that that would serve the greater good, nor do I think is part of the reason that ATS exists.

[edit on 8/8/2008 by schrodingers dog]

reply to post by verbal kint


But what did you think of the content of the show? You appear to be against the "presentation" but did not say anything about the content.

I happen to find the way they present their show humorous and entertaining as well as informative, ie asking the right questions etc.

If you are just against the production, how would you suggest they improve it?

Originally posted by schrodingers dog
reply to post by verbal kint

 

I can't speak on behalf of ATS, but within the ideologies and doctrines of any marginal group is not to remain marginalized by definition.
Some avant-guarde communities equate the idea of the "mainstream" as a "sellout".
I do not believe this is the case here on ATS. ... closer to a mission statement.
Now I'm sure some like the idea of ATS as our little secret world where we can talk about the "mainstream" and rebel against it. But I don't believe that that would serve the greater good, nor do I think is part of the reason that ATS exists.

You make an excellent point. I believe you've highlighted an important failure in my word selection and what you say is absolutely correct. The failure lies in my choice of "mainstream" to describe what I was characterizing as an opposing concept. I agree that bringing the broad thinking of ATS into the mainstream is something of a goal. Rather than "mainstream" I should have referred to something like "narrow-minded or limited thinking". The word "inflexible" also comes to mind. Rigid perspective? I think what you've pointed out is a quite common misnomer that should be addressed. Unfortunately, I'm not aware of a commonly accepted and more importantly, more accurate alternative. At any rate, excellent point - too bad the error permeates the entire post as well as the title...

Kellter - I wouldn't say I'm against the production. It's really just a matter of taste. If the goal was to emulate the modern, sound bite, flash imagery radio, I would say they've done a very good job. It really has the sound of what you'd expect from a successful radio station. For me personally, thats just not my taste. As for content, what I did hear I had no problem with at all. It was indeed the production. Like I said, I may just be too AM radio in my taste. I don't care for common announcer cadence and inflection nor similarly styled station i.d.'s and advertisements (i.e. explosions, that deep voice, etc...). But apparently the style catches listeners' attention and creates a common element across broadcasts to enhance the listeners comfort. All with the overall effect of increasing the size of the audience... I'm almost 40 and still got that old school punk rock, productionless preference. Does that clarify?

cheers
-v

I agree to a point. There are a lot of really bad threads on ATS. However, the ones that are good are REALLY good. Compared to any mainstream media I am aware of, the amount of good content on ATS is much higher. One thing that may be contributing to your observations is that ATS is a lot more popular than it was even just a few years ago when I joined. There was a slightly different 'feel' to the place back then, and I have seen (back when I used to frequent ATS chat a lot) people who were old timers when I was new say the same thing about the years before I was here. With increased popularity, we get more attention, both good and bad.

I can't really comment on the audio content of ATS, because other than some of their premium videos, or whatever they call them, and a few of the big guys, like dave rabbit or nomadrush, who are doing interviews and things, I haven't listened to very much of it at all. (Probably because I can read something fast, and scan it faster and dismiss it out of hand if I'm not interested, but audio I have to listen to more before I can do that)

You have to understand that the internet is a relatively new medium.

As such, the persons frequenting this website, myself included, are a result of the mainstream media.

Please allow time for us to get our heads together. We are currently experiencing transition.

Thank you...

I first started coming to ATS after I heard about it on C2C.... so, I'm thankful that it's gone "mainstream," if you consider that show mainstream.

Going mainstream has goods and bads. The plus is that you get a lot of new people, and they bring their ideas with.

Another plus is that with so many people spred around the world here, there's an almost complete net of watchful eyes. Remember the thing with the sky flashes, that would never have happened, I dont' think, without the "mainstreamization".

I lurked for about 1 year before I signed up. The thing that I have noticed as a major downside to the growth of the site in those near 2-years is the influx of "fundamental" people---definitely not just in the religious sense here---that seem to be here in order to pressure one viewpoint's acceptance or decimate the acceptance of another one. I think this is most obvious now in the political forums.

CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE:

I just finished watching the initial Gilliland Ranch summary video and virtually none of the qualities I was critical of in my initial post were present.
I found the video genuine and informative. As a result I effortlessly watch the whole thing with my full attention. At no time did I ever feel distracted from content by an aspect of presentation. Good stuff guys. Thank you.

Originally posted by verbal kint
This is not a criticism of ATS (yet). It appears to me that there has been a shift in the population of ATS. I see more and more threads dedicated to proving "conspiracy" related theories and ideas to be false... Once And For All. But that alone didn't really solidify my suspicions of mainstream infiltration (if you will). I have never listened to ATS MIX until just last week, so I don't know it's history at all. What I do know is that I was very surprised when it began playing and I heard what seemed to me to be a standard, commercial, sound bitey, mainstream broadcast. Now this isn't necessarily a bad thing. One would think it may make it more appealing to a larger audience and thus expose more people to alternative thinking and topics. In spite of this possibility, if I'm really honest, I am forced to admit that it really made my stomach turn - to the point that I couldn't really listen to it. So, all things considered, are we under attack by the mainstream? Does anyone else see this possibility? Or am I just too unrealistic in my entertainment of ideas and too A.M. radio in my taste?

oh yeah, I also am getting a feeling of "cookie cutter conspiracy theory" from a number of threads. I don't know if I'm being clear enough but... ya know?


[edit on 8/8/2008 by verbal kint]

Well this is why we need a voting system like I mentioned in Attention All ATS Members - Vote for the best worst funniest here on ATS to show the actual support for or against theories. It needs to be done for the sake of just what you mention, plus voting for or against an argument anonymously would mean those who didn't feel comfortable either supporting or denying posts would suddenly have a voice and a vote that counts.