The world is coming to an end.Don’t take my word for it. Just ask the “experts,” like ancient Mayan historians, religious fundamentalists, global warming advocates or lifelong Saints fans.The consensus is clear: It’s the end of the world, and we know it.Perhaps no group is more certain the world is going to hell in a handbasket than the people who continually complain about the current state of mass media entertainment.Judging from some people’s hostility, you would think “cheap, mindless” entertainment like cable television and social networking is society’s gravest threat.It’s true modern media has devolved considerably. “The Brady Bunch” has been replaced by “The Osbournes” and “Keeping up with the Kardashians.” “Gilligan’s Island” has been eclipsed by “Survivor” and “Jersey Shore.”On the Web, students often browse Web sites like 4chan.org and dead-baby-joke.com during class. Facebook and Twitter are today’s most popular social outlets. Evening news has been upended by the wild circus of cable news.In some ways, I’m leery of these trends too. I don’t want my younger siblings to be heavily influenced by Snooki or Mike “The Situation.” I fear a world where citizens get their news solely from Bill O’Reilly or Keith Olbermann. I don’t want to have to check Facebook to make sure my parents’ relationship status hasn’t changed to “single” or “it’s complicated.”These concerns are valid. But they’re by no means an indictment of society’s latest technological innovations.Those who disparage new forms of entertainment and long for simpler times neglect the vital role new media outlets play.Many Americans respect free speech as an abstract principle while criticizing it in practice. If we truly value individual expression, the more voices there are, the better off society should be.No place is this more evident than in modern news, specifically cable news.Many viewers gripe about “cable news bias” because they hold it to the impossibly high standard of impartiality. But instead of denigrating certain networks for their slanted portrayals and clear bias, we should condone their unique perspectives.It’s far better we live in a world where we’re honest about our biases than fooling ourselves into thinking they don’t exist.This is obviously not a justification for unethical slandering and falsification. It’s an endorsement for an open forum of ideas and perspectives.FOX News nauseates me just as much as the next (classical) liberal. But I’m glad there’s at least one network whose commentators don’t experience a chill up their leg every time the president speaks.Our ancestors would’ve been far better off if they were exposed to the wide array of viewpoints available today.Before social networking, political protesters had to resort to self-immolation or stand defiantly in front of tanks to have their voices heard. Today, with the advent of blogs and online activism groups, you don’t even have to leave your desktop to start a mini-revolution.And thanks to cable television, comedians like Jon Stewart can illuminate the hypocrisy of warmongers and political prostitutes and undermine their reputation with a 10-second C-SPAN clip. Across the globe, Iranian voters can upload clips of political oppression on YouTube.com rather than having their outcry silenced by oppressive overlords.I’m sure the innocent victims of Marxism would’ve preferred to live in a world where Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin’s personal transgressions would’ve been constantly critiqued by slanted cable news networks so their hypocrisy could be broadcast worldwide.Who knows? Under the magnifying glass of America’s media scrutiny, perhaps morally depraved people like Teddy Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson could’ve been laughed off as self-glorifying psychopaths before stepping foot into the oval office.Of course, “new news” outlets won’t expose every societal transgression. But they at least give everyone an opportunity to make their voices heard and hold elected officials’ nuts to the fire.The market for ideas is more open than ever before.May the most valid ideas prevail.Scott Burns is a 20-year-old economics major from Baton Rouge. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_sburns.– – – -Contact Scott Burns at [email protected]