I am making what I take to be a fairly deep point, that the categories we use to explain reality often do not have a counterpart in reality. I see more differences than similarities in the various sources of formal and informal information through which people understand the world.
Often, especially post-Trump, “the media” is used to mean, “The people who say things that are against what you know in your heart to be true.” In this sense, “the media” is closely analogous to the “deep state”, a sinister cabal that is working against your interests, whatever you believe them to be at any particular moment. It’s not a serious category to describe some referent in the world, just a throwaway line to express grievances.
Above you said, “The media 100% supports Trump.” I have no idea where you could get this idea. To the extent there is a formal, mainstream media, things like major newspapers, national TV, weekly magazines, etc., it is almost all run by college-educated professional doing a job (obtaining and disseminating information) who happen to despise Trump.
Now, there is an alternative information ecosystem, from FOX, Newsmax, Brietbart, the individual twitter feeds of politicians, grifters, and “intellectuals” who support Trump, and in some sense this is part of “the media”, but it is not concerned with truth or accuracy except to the extent necessary to promote other values. There is no world, no matter how construed, where, “The media 100% supports Trump.”
Yeah, the individuals mostly dont support him politically (though likely more do than you’d think). But the entire economic structure of the media basically requires a trumplike figure to exist. Gotta grow by 5% a year, how are you gonna do that without trump?
Reification is when you think of or treat something abstract as a physical thing.
Reification is a complex idea for when you treat something immaterial — like happiness, fear, or evil — as a material thing. This can be a way of making something concrete and easier to understand, like how a wedding ring is the reification of a couple’s love. However, reification is often considered a sign that someone is thinking illogically. For example, if you think of justice as something physical, you’re confusing ideas and things, which can lead to problems.
