After an almost balmy and mostly sunny January we are now back to the usual westcoast weather. Leaden skies, drizzly, dark days with the occasional glimpse of blue sky. But the days are getting longer.

I look forward to my regular get togethers with Camp, even though it’s doesn’t happen every week as it used to. We still regurgitate and distill the discouraging barrage of news and politics, rumours and philosophical musings with a couple of pints and are always glad for the few things that haven’t changed like our corner table on the glassed-in veranda by the shore and also our steadfast servers Vicky and Rosy, who have been our compass to reality more than once in this ever changing world. 

‘I hate to bring this up again and again but the issue isn’t going away Camp. TikTok and Co. are undermining traditional media at an ever-faster pace, especially amongst young people. For example, as I read in my Swiss newspaper, 46 percent of Swiss people now hardly read the news, more than double of the 21 percent in 2009.’

‘No surprise there. It’s a generational reality where the young don’t subscribe to the New York Times or the Guardian but get their updates on their silly phones. So, if we want to continue reading about research and analyses in the future, then maybe it’s time to ask ourselves this question. Is it really necessary to permanently take refuge in the illusory world of social media?’