The comparison between the internet and the printing press is fascinating.
I agree that there are some very interesting developments during the middle ages as the church began too lose its monopoly on scribing to the more democratized printing model that most definitely are applicable to today's situation in the world of internet video, but there is one startling difference. It was impossible to control the distribution of content in that time. There were no pipes, no tubes, and even the most ruthless and capable despot could not limit the distribution of the written word. Today on the other hand, with the lack of privacy and the breadcrumbs that are strewn about all over in our internet world, I think it can be clamped down on like never before. The move to limit our access to content in order to ensure the big guys ability to deliver their content is a major impediment to distribution and the trackability and lack of privacy make for a different situation from the rise of literacy and the transformation from an institutional scribing system to a more open printing system. I hope that makes sense... Thanks for the interesting reading and thoughts. Cheers, Ron On Dec 7, 2006, at 1:29 PM, Heath wrote: > Yes, the small users are driving inovation but sooner or later > the "big guys" take notice and they have money, time and talent..... > > And again, I am looking at this from the viewer's perspective and > the "average joe".....how many average, everyday people who go to > work, come home, make dinner and sit down in front of the tube, how > many of them are going to watch me talk about the vloggies or bacon > or The Ask a Ninja guy....(who I love btw) but I wonder, what > the "cap" for this medium is.....how many people will want to watch > just "stuff"....people like to be entertained, bigger is better and > so on......will that attitude change? Because if it doesn't.... > > It's an interesting thought......I know I don't have any answers, but > what else is new.. > > Heath > http://batmangeek7.blogspot.com > > --- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com, David Tames <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > Interesting article... > > > > I think it's dangerous to put too much faith in the belief that > > trends and outcomes from the past are a reflection of what is > > happening today and going to happen tomorrow. I think that there's > a > > significantly different thing going on today in the media and > > entertainment industry than has gone on in the past: end users are > > driving the innovation, and video blogging is a crisp example of > this. > > > > I wrote an article for IMAGINE (a trade magazine that covers film, > > video, and multimedia production in New England) for the Dec'06/ > > Jan'07 issue titled: "Macro Trends in Media and Entertainment," > which > > I subsequently updated: > > > > http://kino-eye.com/2006/09/30/macro-trends-rio2006/ > > Document: Macro-Trends-v2.pdf (PDF, 164 KB) > > > > What do you think of my premise? > > > > I'm planning to release a Version 3 after I add more video sharing > > sites and round out the arguments. I'd love some feedback from > this > > group before I complete a new version of the article. > > > > Regardless of the fact that the large media players will claim a > > large percentage of the total media and entertainment activity on > the > > internet, independent producers (video bloggers, independent > > filmmakers, small organizations, etc) will still have a > percentage, > > and that percentage will be significantly larger than it has been > in > > the past through the hundred year history of cinema, television, > > radio, cable, and now the internet. So personal and independent > media > > will have much more significant access to an audience than it had > > before. > > > > This is a trend near and dear to my heart that I've been tracking > > since 1988 when people were saying the Hi8 camcorder revolution > would > > democratize the media. But I argued with my fellow filmmakers back > > then, access to the tools of production is only 1/3 of the > equation. > > You still need access to marketing to build an audience, and > access > > to distribution. The internet today provides the missing pieces, > it > > fuels word-of-mouth as well as provides an economical distribution > > medium. > > > > David. > > > > David Tames, Filmmaker & Media Technologist > > http://kino-eye.com | 617.216.1096 > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
