Diane’s ringtones are references to popular public news sources, specifically NPR. They show a few aspects of her character:
She’s keyed in to big news stories, always in the know. As a journalist and something of a ‘righteous activist,’ that’s both a part of her job and also something she probably thinks is her responsibility.
NPR is known for in-depth journalism, being publicly funded (and therefore not driven by a standard profit motive), and having an audience mostly made up of well-educated liberals. Specifically the one ringtone I’m most familiar with, Serial, has an entire podcast season dedicated towards one specific court case from twenty years ago. That seems to suggest that Diane favors long-form analysis over 24/7 news cycles.
It’s more than a hobby for her. A lot of people listen to NPR, a lot of people enjoy long-form news analysis in general. But not many people would go the extra step of making them into ringtones. We see over the course of the series that Diane has a drive towards activism that can be self-destructive at times. Take her conversation with Cuddly Whiskers:
Diane- “You can’t just disappear! You really hurt a lot of ppl.”
CW- “Sometimes you need to take responsibility for your own happiness.”
D- “Don’t you think that’s a little… selfish?”
CW- “I don’t know what to tell you. I’m happy. For the first time in my life, and i’m not gonna feel bad about it. It takes a long time to see how truly miserable you are, and even longer to see that it doesn’t have to be that way.”
I think the writers of the show very much agree with a lot of Diane’s politics. I think they’re also aware that there are consequences to that path in life, that it can lead to you being burnt out and cynical and feeling like you haven’t done enough.
Yeah, definitely.
Diane’s ringtones are references to popular public news sources, specifically NPR. They show a few aspects of her character:
She’s keyed in to big news stories, always in the know. As a journalist and something of a ‘righteous activist,’ that’s both a part of her job and also something she probably thinks is her responsibility.
NPR is known for in-depth journalism, being publicly funded (and therefore not driven by a standard profit motive), and having an audience mostly made up of well-educated liberals. Specifically the one ringtone I’m most familiar with, Serial, has an entire podcast season dedicated towards one specific court case from twenty years ago. That seems to suggest that Diane favors long-form analysis over 24/7 news cycles.
It’s more than a hobby for her. A lot of people listen to NPR, a lot of people enjoy long-form news analysis in general. But not many people would go the extra step of making them into ringtones. We see over the course of the series that Diane has a drive towards activism that can be self-destructive at times. Take her conversation with Cuddly Whiskers:
I think the writers of the show very much agree with a lot of Diane’s politics. I think they’re also aware that there are consequences to that path in life, that it can lead to you being burnt out and cynical and feeling like you haven’t done enough.