Specialization in one area of information can be kind of rewarding. I like commodity news (oil, food, minerals, water, etc.) and tech manufacturing so I try to keep up on those areas. Mainstream media isn't really that great for this, in comparison to speciality business journals, various websites, government reports and so on.
Focusing on one area gives you a 'window on reality', but it's going to be limited, i.e. I really don't know what to think about all the culture war news, or general finance that's not specifically related to commodities and manufacturing, or anything in the 'true crime' world, or much in the way of electoral politics, geopolitics, etc. Still, knowing something reliable about how droughts and floods have affected rice production in China and why rice prices are rising makes me feel like I have at least some marginal grasp on what's going on in the real world.
Focusing on one area gives you a 'window on reality', but it's going to be limited, i.e. I really don't know what to think about all the culture war news, or general finance that's not specifically related to commodities and manufacturing, or anything in the 'true crime' world, or much in the way of electoral politics, geopolitics, etc. Still, knowing something reliable about how droughts and floods have affected rice production in China and why rice prices are rising makes me feel like I have at least some marginal grasp on what's going on in the real world.