Even on Vacation, There's No Escaping the Media....and That's A Good Thing

I'm just a few hours away from the first vacation in years that'll take us outside the US (assuming Key West and the Conch Republic don't qualify as foreign lands...some might disagree).  And for the first time, I'm not packing my laptop (I'm even leaving the tablet behind).  Nonetheless, I feel as connected as ever -- thanks to a smartphone with access to the Internet.  With email, Facebook, Twitter, chat groups, and my favorite blogs, websites and newsfeeds, I'll be as connected to my family, friends and colleagues as  if I were in my living room.  And through those family, friends and colleagues, I'm far more connected to happenings around the world than the days when we were solely dependent on traditional media.  I'll learn of breaking news via Twitter and Facebook.  I'll see insights and opinions on these developments from those I follow.  And I'll still be able to turn to the traditional media's websites to learn even more about what's happening -- in my hometown, with my sports team, with the businesses I'm interested in.  It's another example -- one we're all very familiar with -- of how media has evolved.  There are those who view vacation as an opportunity to step away from work, from day-to-day life back home.  That's not so easy today...and I'm not unhappy about this.  Now, I enjoy a vacation with the best of them, but I welcome the fact that  I have this connection to work and home.  Instead of  sitting in my hotel room searching for CNN or looking for a day-old USA Today at an airport newsstand, all the media I want and need will be in the palm of my hand.