Chapter 2: The Media Landscape
Collective Conversation, Individual Voices
The internet has given us new ways to connect with others and to have collective conversations. But here’s another paradox: it’s also truly empowered the individual voices and producers. The individual’s perspective can be delivered quickly, cheaply and effectively thanks to an infrastructure that’s leveled the playing field so much even the smallest players can compete.
Even people with limited technical knowledge are able to express themselves and increase their visibility online using tools like:
- Blogs
- Tumble logs
- Microblogs
- Personal websites
- Podcasting/Vodcasting
- Commenting, rating and ranking
- Social news sites
- Social networking sites
- Social bookmarking
- Review and opinion sites
- Wish list and intention sites
- Collectives
- Video sites
Every one of us can have a voice online. Individuals can set up a media outlet all by themselves, if they want. And sometimes a lone voice can be louder than the biggest advertising budget. Think about what happens when a top 100 reviewer on Amazon shares a particularly disappointing experience with a product.
Individual opinion – whether delivered in comments, ratings, blogposts, or tweets – can have real potency, but there’s also a weight to the aggregate of individual voices. Note the impact of the accumulated opinions voiced on forums like Yelp, Epinions and The Consumerist. This collective voice is different from mass media. Think about the effect of reading a succession of blow-by-blow accounts of an event from multiple citizen journalists. Each individual account takes on more importance when it correlates with other accounts. The power is in the hands of the crowd, and every member of the crowd has a digital megaphone.
The Internet provides any individual with a worldwide podium or a soapbox for expression and exposure. This makes it a great time for start-ups, creativity and new connections, but a perilous time for the mass media behemoths that can no longer force-feed homogenized products and messages to the masses.
