Andrew Keen may be a shrewd opportunist, catering to the fearmongers who live in terror of socialized media destroying their ivory towers, but Schlomo's right when he points out that we on this list still aspire to some kind of meritocracy -- even if we view that meritocracy in completely different terms than Keen.
As I mentioned on a panel at Blogference in Tel Aviv last week, it's become evident from the democratization of social media that Hollywood wasn't exactly barring millions of geniuses at the gates. For every Tiki Bar TV, Ask a Ninja or Rocketboom, who "work" for a specific audience, there are hundreds of thousands of videos that are 100% mediocrity in motion. This isn't surprising, since the average human being is better equipped to regurgitate what he or she has previously experienced than to innovate drastically -- the sum of history should be proof enough -- but what IS surprising is when some of us, who are expecting a revolution from the social media sphere, rally to the defense of this mediocrity. Like Keen, I'm appalled by the tidal wave of trash that passes for web media. Like Schlomo, I'm sure most of YOU are appalled by it to. Where we diverge from Keen is in believing that the diamonds in this new rough, and the likelihood that the rough will improve over time, justifies its existence in the first place. If Keen had his way, the gates would be locked permanently. If we have our way, the quality of what comes THROUGH those gates will continue to steadily improve and render this entire argument meaningless. Onward and upward. Justin Kownacki Web Video Producer and Social Media Consultant Something to Be Desired: http://www.somethingtobedesired.com PodCampPGH2: http://www.podcamppittsburgh.com Blog: http://justinkownacki.blogspot.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/justinkownacki
