Im not sure if that view still dominates business and the profitmongers attitude to the web though.
I think capitalism is getting used to the slight adjustment in the nature of of how they make money from the consumers. They can easily think of people connecting as just a change in what people are consuming, not the end of consumption. So rather than make the money from creating the content and selling it to consumers, they make the money by being the middle man when someone wants to connect to someone else to consume something. >From advertisers to networks, they could all come to see this as a way to reduce costs. Maybe its cheaper to buy off some bloggers than buying off some 'professionals'. Viral marketeers and people-networkers get very excited about people connecting to each other. Theres probably a whole bunch of people out there who think thats what business and the economy all boils down to anyway, so its a perfect fit, and thus the internet is not the anticapitalist commie threat that some could otherwise think it might be. We'd never of got the net or web2 if it had been deemed that dangerous to capitalism & friends. Still I suppose net neutrality fears come from the fact that companies like to connect with eachother too, sign exclusive deals, stitch up the market, all the sorts of crap we see happening on mobile phones and many other areas of business over hundreds of years of human history. Personally I am not exceedingly concerned about such issues being a problem just yet, we are still at an early stage in the era of knowledge economies. The very nature of what people understand the internet to be, coupled with the common interest most entities have of not totally breaking the internet, may protect it. Theres also probably some myths about how much the internet has ever been neutral, at least in terms of what people actually experience in terms of service & speed of different sites, albeit so far more for technical/infrastructure reasons than deliberate business policy. Probably the term net neutrality has come to mean more than the name suggests, about wider issues of equality & access on the net, to information, services and the ability to inform and provide yourself if you choose, on equal terms. Heh if we had these sorts of issues to contend with during the cold war then lots of people would be calling each other commies methinks ;) Cheers Steve Elbows --- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com, Ron Watson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Heath, > Didn't you get the memo? > > Profit is more important than people. > > The internet is a tool that delivers profit, and we can't have people > expropriating that profit to do something as stupid as 'connect' with > another person. Every megabyte that goes towards connecting people is > one that steals someone's profit. Keen is right on top of the issue > from a market standpoint. This is the rationale for the destruction > of Net Neutrality. > > People simply have no right 'connecting' with each other. The Tubes > are a tool for profit and giving up bandwidth so people can 'connect' > is bad for business. We are consumers of media, nothing more. > Guaranteeing access and rights is not something that is done for > consumers. Those things are reserved for people that matter - a > citizen, for instance. > > Personally, I think people are more important than profit and shills > like Keen should go fuck themselves. > > A shill's a shill and there are far more of them than there are of > us. They have nearly unlimited resources and are virtually > unchallenged in the corporate media. > > I wish there were more people in the vlog/blogosphere who understood > this and were vocal because we're going to get run right off the > tubes by petty little men like Keen and their Corporate Sponsors. > > Aldon, great review! Thank you. I never thought of an amazon review > as a soapbox like that. I'm going to have to think about that in the > future. Some well thought out words could really put out a good > message and not violate the concept of a review. > > Cheers, > Ron Watson > http://k9disc.blip.tv > http://k9disc.com > http://pawsitivevybe.com/vlog > http://pawsitivevybe.com > > > > On Jul 13, 2007, at 11:25 AM, Heath wrote: > > > What's it matter is someone speaks to millions or to just one? If > > you are able to connect with someone else who shares your passion, > > then what's it matter? > > > > Heath > > http://batmangeek.com > > > > --- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com, "Justin Kownacki" > > <jkownacki@> wrote: > > > > > > 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 > > > > > > > > > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] >
