The (industrial) (r)Evolution of Media

What Single Social Trend Matters Most to Media Enterprises (& Marketers) Today?

In order to see where we (American society) are taking media (a tool with great social utility), we must first see three dynamics separately and then together. Doing this will allow insight on how and why the media business model, as we know it, must fracture and specialize along specific pathways. The first of these three dynamics is, by far, the most important: 

My primary email account gets a grand total of only five scheduled daily deliveries that I signed up for using that address intentionally. Maybe, there is another five that are weekly emails, too. There's also probably a handful of occasional retail entries but they are on a short leash. Otherwise it all goes to Gmail which acts as a clearing house.  That is how I choose to manage the email tool. 

The current recession has been devastating to many media companies that rely upon advertising revenue. The causality attached to this change, as I read about it most days, has to do with a cyclical decline that is viewed by many as unprecedented and includes new competition from web based competitors. Of course, there are plenty of far sighted pros who see the long term term changes continuing to unfold in that direction but to label it new competition from the internet is too simplistic. Consultants and gurus directing the world of media enterprises all preach very specific solutions that involve incorporating social tools as a means to a better end. The more sophisticated among them see clearly how social tools are no answer or end but, a means to the kind of overall cultural change that is needed.(more effective communication on multiple levels at the same time)

Back two+ years ago when this thread about media was developing and broken off from my other (broader) blog,I did so because of one basic and very broad insight. Choice. We are living in the Era of Choice where technology has enabled Choice on many more levels of our individual lives.   And since businesses are tools designed by people, for people, these perceived evolving needs necessarily lag the changes. The more you think about that last thought the more painfully obvious it seems and yet, we see some of the most "plugged in" companies struggling today with the very idea of Choice. The universe of media enterprises is where this revolution will unfold most notably. (It has yet to)

Google suggests micropayments solution for on-line media consumption

Google's announcement of a proposed system for micro payments towards content on line is an important step for what I call the (industrial) (r)Evolution of Media..on a few levels.

If a social trend is important it most certainly can be viewed from a variety of angles and distances.

So this announcement by Google may well be viewed by a tradesman (near layoff) at the NYT as way too little, way too late but, I suggest it is huge....maybe bigger than that when looked at from the right perspective.

The US (and the world to some extent) are dealing with the inevitable aftermath of a century of managed markets that changed or funneled demand for content. The 20th century produced a market for media content in the US that was the creature of government barrier to entry (and capital costs in the case of newspapers) and as such, the limited nature of supply distorted values in a variety of ways to both producers and consumers. Eventually in such a system you lose your perspective much like animals in the zoo lose much of their wildness. It is inevitable.  The present bewilderment in the media industry is really just a long slow opportunity for us all to catch our collective breath before all media consumption becomes a perfectly personalized experience that is woven into our daily social and work experience. Right now, supply of potential sources of content has increased exponentially.  Micro payments will help level a diverse playing field but until everyone acknowledges there is no going back, then we can begin to move forward with incremental innovation that will be meaningful. Right now, what stands out a lot to me is how so many behind the new media curve spend so much energy blaming Google for being good at what they do.Google, Yahoo, and Ask are tools designed to serve Choice for consumers. Spending time blaming search companies for giving people what they want is like GM telling us it is un-American to buy a foreign car assembled in Ohio for less money.  Competition makes everyone better. Even the President noted that last night.

Google's proposed micro payments are an important step in a positive direction as they will blend two important social themes of great importance together.