@dandycat Yeah... who needs libraries? It’s sad to read such things! @Burk discussed his article (which you also linked) with me and @canion on @HemisphericViews and it strikes me how little I think about Amazon in Australia, until US writers or podcasters start to comment on the company. In many ways, Australia seems more like a little America today than a little Britain, but there are some ways that we’re still quite removed in our preferences and habits.
@martinfeld Huh, I wasn't aware that there was such a remove from what I would consider a ubiquitous global corporation. I guess that's my American perspective talking. Regardless, the way you describe Australia in relation to this subject makes it sound like a more peaceful, nicer place than I had even imagined. Is that the case with all of Australia—is there more of a focus on local goods and less so on corporations like Amazon?
Thanks for the subtle suggestion to listen to Hemispheric Views. Given the subject matter, I'm going to enjoy listening to that episode!
@dandycat Thanks in advance for checking it out!
Amazon still has some influence here as something that runs a chunk of the Web, plus there’s Prime Video, Audible and so on, but I think I ordered only one thing physically from Amazon years ago and otherwise I never use it. They don’t have the mindshare.
We’re dominated in other ways, such as extremely poor diversity of media ownership, however fortunately we have the ABC and SBS as government-subsidised antidotes to that. If someone were to ask me what I think it means to be Australian (as a not very nationalistic person), I’d say that these two networks capture some of the best parts of us and our (idealised) multiculturalism.
@martinfeld This is fascinating to me. I appreciate you sharing your perspective on being Australian. I've not known many people from there in my life.
The ABC and SBS websites are wonderful! Seriously, they feel like a breath of fresh air. I may not be able to relate to the stories they're telling very well, but they appear to exhibit a diversity in their reporting, as well as a care for their home country. What I've got here—CNN, Fox News, and the like—pales in comparison, I think.
@dandycat No worries! Yes those two networks aren’t perfect but they would perhaps be similar in style to more community-style or public broadcasters in the US.