The Los Angeles Times has a limited-time offer for unlimited digital access across web, tablet, and mobile, for just $1 for 4 weeks. After that, you’re billed $4 per week, billed every 4 weeks ($16 a month), and you can cancel anytime. As a millennial, the thought of paying for news was foreign to me. Even though I grew up in the era of print newspapers and magazines, when the internet arrived, it seemed ridiculous to pay for news when it was abundantly available for free everywhere!
Flash forward to 2020: a pandemic is sweeping the globe, our president is telling us to consume bleach, the economy’s shit, and natural disasters are wreaking havoc all over the world. Everything’s on fire, basically. Unfortunately, these conditions have made fake news ripe for consuming and spreading, especially on platforms like Facebook and YouTube. It became increasingly hard for me to find accurate information, and I got tired of hitting paywalls on the sources I DID trust, so I decided to put my money where my mouth is and subscribe to the L.A. Times, a paper I’ve grown up with my entire life, as someone born and raised in Los Angeles, and it feels like home.
After spending a few weeks playing around with the app, I think I have a good grasp on the functionality and value it delivers. So here’s a breakdown of the features, some commentary on what I loved most, as well as feedback (from the perspective of someone in media who works on apps) on what would add even more value to subscribers. For those who want to know, I’m using a Samsung Galaxy S7 edge and I’m running Android 8.0.0 and Samsung Experience version 9.0.
Overview
The app is broken up into four major navigational sections:
- Homepage Feed
- eNewspaper (a digitized version of the print newspaper)
- Media (a collection of videos and podcasts)
- My library (saved and recently viewed articles)
Homepage Feed
The homepage feed includes a collection of top news however, the criteria for what is considered “top news” is unclear to me. I’m assuming it’s their most viewed or most engaged with stories of the day? Either way, most of the reading I do is directly from that homepage feed so those stories do tend to be the most relevant and engaging reporting available at the current moment.
eNewspaper
This sounds like exactly what it is, an eNewspaper! But this is more than a scanned version of the print paper, it’s completely clickable and customizable to each reader’s preferences. This format allows you to flip the pages of the paper which gives you a different scrolling experience that’s equivalent to sitting back and flipping through the newspaper. I’m still old enough to remember the joys of getting lost in the paper. Admiring the beautiful photography, discovering the buried stories, jumping from story to unrelated story. Except in this experience, when you click on a story it brings up an easy-to read version of the story that allows you to change the language, adjust the font size, and highlight text to copy, eliminating the need to pinch to zoom as you squint to read the writing.
The value and experience is further enhanced with the addition of games and comics. Games include Sudoku, solitaire, and word games, but the shining jewel in this crown is the daily crossword. Oh, how I miss filling out the daily crossword in the print paper! I never got great at doing crosswords but I loved trying. This version has everything you need for a good time, including customizable clues, the ability to play with friends, error check, and a deep archive to play with! The comics are cool because you can read them in the newspaper format, or click on them for an easy-to-read hi-res version. Hands down, the enewspaper is one of the most unique and best parts of the L.A. Times app.
There’s also a cool archives feature that dates back 130+ years and includes other newspapers. Unfortunately, it seems like you have to have a separate subscription to access this section. It’s too bad because making this a part of the subscription would definitely add value and attract a broader range of potential subscribers such as teachers, historians, researchers, and other individuals interested in news archives. I’ve contacted the L.A. Times directly to ask about this since it’s unclear if the lack of access is due to a bug or really requires another subscription.
Media
This is the section I’ve probably spent the least amount of time in. Not because the L.A. Times doesn’t make good video/audio content, but because I tend to consume that type of content at other times and on other platforms. If I’m opening up the L.A. Times app, it’s because I’m in the mood to read, not watch/listen to content. And when someone DOES share L.A. Times video on social media, they’re YouTube links, so I go consume the content there. Even the videos in the app appear to be YouTube embeds.
Same with the podcasts, I was a huge Dirty John fan, but I didn’t listen to this podcast on the L.A. Times app because it’s on Spotify, which is my go-to subscription for all things music and podcasts. It’s highly unlikely I would listen to a podcast from within the L.A. Times app unless it was EXCLUSIVE to the app. But I know that, in today’s media landscape, you have to spread your content across all monetizable platforms to get as much revenue out of it, so I get it.
Is a Gaia Subscription Worth it?
I’ve been on a self-improvement kick, so when I started seeing sponsored posts on Instagram for Gaia, a video streaming service that provides “conscious media” for a monthly subscription fee and boasts 8,000+ original and curated videos, I was like, give me my enlightenment!
If all you took away from that is, “What is conscious media?” you’re not alone! Gaia describes itself as a combination of four primary channels: Seeking Truth, Transformation, Alternative Healing, and Yoga. I was prepared to transcend my mortal shell and reach Samadhi, so I signed up for a 90-day package and started streaming.
Yoga
I’ll start with the yoga section because it’s one of the biggest and best parts of the service. It’s also a big part of Gaia’s marketing and advertising for the subscription. You likely found out about Gaia because you post about yoga and/or follow others in the yoga community. The yoga category is broken up into the following sub-categories:
- All Yoga Practices
- Yoga Philosophy
- “Living Yoga” Collection
- “Morning Ritual” Collection
- Meditation
- Fitness & Pilates
Highlights
It’s undeniable that Gaia has a massive library of yoga videos spanning several styles and lengths. I appreciated the filter which helps narrow the options based on style, teacher, level, duration, and focus. This is convenient for the regular practitioner because it helps you find exactly what you want to get started quickly and easily. I tried a variety of different videos which provide sound instruction and, depending on what you’re trying to achieve, leave you relaxed or energized. You’re going to have a solid practice no matter what you watch.
Missed Opportunity
Although the volume and value of the library are undeniable, I also couldn’t help but notice a lack of diversity in the teachers. Not to say there aren’t featured instructors that aren’t POC (People of Color)–in fact, Rodney Yee is one of their most prominent POC yogis–but you have to dig to find them.
There’s also a lack of younger, up-and-coming talent that’s popular in the contemporary yoga community. It would be amazing to see original yoga series from a diverse swath of talent like Jessamyn Stanley, Lauren Ash, Chin Twins, or countless other talented yogis. I realize that some of these people might be signed to exclusive deals with other yoga brands, but if you dedicate time and effort to the research, I guarantee you could uncover emerging talent that would be great to modernize this library.
Transformation
This part of the service is focused on content to help unlock the power and potential of your mind and body. This was the shit I was expecting would open up my third eye. I thought I was gonna be levitating once I was done. The category is broken up into the following sub-categories:
- Spiritual Growth
- Alternative Health
- Personal Development
- Expanded Consciousness
Highlights
There are tons of interesting and provocative topics to explore, but they’re not at all my jam. You’ll find series on everything from Ayurveda to channeling spirits from other dimensions. I’m all about having an open mind but some of this stuff was outside of the realm of what I like to watch.
The content I appreciated most in this category was the meditation videos. Meditation has been scientifically proven to help change and re-wire your brain, so I’m all about that shit. It’s also through meditative practices that I’ve been able to problem solve and experience creative breakthroughs, so I’m DOWN to meditate. My only wish for the meditation videos is that they had a filter, like the yoga videos, so that I could find exactly what I need, quickly and easily. Instead, I had to rely on the search function (more on that later) which left me sifting through a ton of videos before I could get started.
Missed Opportunities
I don’t have a ton of thoughts on this stuff except to say that, if I was programming this thing, I would broaden this category up. All the content in this section felt TOO granola; like something the weird lady that shops at the co-op and wears hemp clothes all the time with her culturally appropriative dreads would watch. If there’s any desire to make this service attractive to a broader audience, Gaia may be better served with content that’s more in the “motivational” or “self-help” category. I’d love to see original series from people like Dr. Brené Brown, Lewis Howes, or Esther Perel.
Another great opportunity would be to do make more content in the sleep category. Spotify does this, they have a genre devoted to sleep aids. This can include everything from guided sleep meditations to white noise and ASMR. I was disappointed there weren’t more videos on lucid dreaming and yoga nidra. I think sleep-related videos could be huge, and relatively inexpensive and easy for Gaia to produce.
Seeking Truth
This category is for all the Dale Gribbles out there. Enough said. The category is broken up into the following sub-categories:
- Original Programs
- Metaphysics
- Ancient Origins
- Secrets and Cover-ups
- Paranormal & Unexplained
Highlights
I guess, if you’re looking for super niche content on aliens and conspiracy theories, this is the place to be.
Missed Opportunity
This section is probably the one I disliked the most. I’m down for a good conspiracy doc about aliens from time to time, but I don’t support content that promotes ignorance (like anti-vax stuff). Topics aside, of all the content available on Gaia, these series seemed to be the most dated. Most of these shows are “talking head” formats and consist of two people on a stage, with MAYBE some b-roll thrown in occasionally. Even stuff that was produced in 2018 looks like something from a VHS recovered at a yard sale. Conspiracy nuts aren’t going to pay for a service like this because their community is alive and well on Reddit and YouTube (for free).
Films & Docs
This is where you’ll find the scripted and unscripted movies, docs, and indie films. The category is broken up into the following sub-categories:
- Films
- Documentaries
- Shorts
- Series
Highlights
There are some good docs here if you’re interested in getting into the depths of these spiritual/metaphysical topics. Honestly, I didn’t watch a ton of stuff from this section, it wasn’t attractive to me.
Missed Opportunities
IDK man, I don’t think this section is really worth it. I pay the same amount of money for Netflix, and (obviously) they have way better movies. I would never pay for this app for THESE movies.
Features/Format
Content aside, these are my thoughts on the functionality of the app.
Highlights
- Multi-platform Viewing – I appreciated the accessibility of the service. I could watch on my desktop, mobile, and living room devices.
- Share with a Friend – Although I never used this feature, it’s nice. This is good if you’re a yoga teacher who wants to show a student a particular sequence, or a nutritionist who wants to share an Ayurveda video with a patient.
Missed Opportunities
- Push Notifications – I received email newsletters that notified me of new content, but I couldn’t help but wonder why they don’t use push notifications instead? If Gaia would’ve sent a push notification about a detox yoga flow after New Year’s Eve, that probably would’ve received a lot of clicks, thereby re-engaging the viewer with the app.
- Improved Search – The search function is not good. It returns unrelated results which makes you scroll/click through a lot of irrelevant content. For example, I was looking up videos on lucid dreaming, and maybe the first 9 videos were directly related, but everything else was either only tangentially related, or had nothing to do with it all. With so many videos, it’s criminal not to have a good search.
- More Playlists – You can add videos to your playlist to watch later, but the problem’s that there’s only one playlist! It would be nice to have multiple playlists to organize content. Additionally, it would be great if the videos in those playlists auto-played, one after the other, so that I don’t have to interrupt a yoga session to play the next video.
- Podcasts – Although this is a video streaming app, Gaia should consider getting into podcasts, or licensing other popular health & wellness podcasts to freshen up its library. People listen to stuff on-the-go, as well as before sleep, so you don’t need solely video content! It would be amazing to see a collaborative project or an original with popular wellness podcasters like Black Girl in Om or Locatora Radio.
- Livestreaming – There are so many wellness-related events around the world that would be great to cover and create content around. For example, a partnership with Wanderlust could result in some cool stuff!
Conclusion
In conclusion, I opted to cancel my Gaia subscription. It’s not that the app doesn’t have any value to it (on the contrary, there’s A LOT of good stuff on the app) but rather, it’s that it doesn’t feel like it’s catered to my interests as a whole. Additionally, in this day and age, we’re all paying for MULTIPLE subscription services [I alone pay for Netflix, Hulu, HBO, Prime Video, Spotify, and Classpass] so if I’m going to add ANOTHER ten dollars to my monthly subscription fees, I HAVE to feel like I’m gonna use that app daily, and this was not that app. Not to say that this app wouldn’t be good for YOU! I could see this app being good for yoga teachers, nutritionists, therapists, or spiritual advisers.
In my opinion, the key to making this a better service lies in better curation, modern original productions, and improved discovery mechanisms. Right now, it’s just too cluttered with content and it doesn’t feel modern. The look is important when you’ve got comparable competitors in the yoga space like Alo Moves or Asana Rebel. I think Gaia has a good foundation to build from, but I would want to see an influx of new, experimental content to get me to re-consider a subscription
But don’t just take my word for it! There’s a lot of great info on this Reddit thread. Wishing you light and love on your trip through the dark bowels of humanity. Namaste!