News is reported in increasingly shorter sound bytes.
A typical hour of prime time television includes 37 breaks for commercials and other messages. Single images seldom appear on the screen for more than three seconds. These short-lived sensations, says Bertman, teach us not to expect continuity in any aspect of our lives. Fashion merchandising artificially manipulates seasons, forcing us to shop for bathing suits in January, and winter coats in July. Christmas cards hit the stores before Halloween.