Google Tech Talk - 5 minute version
In case the longer version is a bit too much for your taste, here is an edited version that should give you the general idea.
In case the longer version is a bit too much for your taste, here is an edited version that should give you the general idea.
Here is a Google Tech Talk that I just gave on Social Recommendations.
At the twilight of the
information economy the table has been set for the media patron
in all of us. The menu of digital media is a thousand miles long. We sample and
feast freely, pay the bill simply by being there and provide economic victory
to those who serve us best.
The democratization of media has finally begun in earnest. Individuals have
been given the control (Facebook, YouTube) and the barriers to access (limited
bandwidth, storage, DRM) are being removed. The longtail of content is on the
net; access to it is open and distribution is free. In this age of media excess
and fatigue, we turn to the sources we trust to provide our entertainment and
information experience. People, the
individual has become the focus for designers of media interaction,
distribution and creation. The following discussion of attention, influence and
patrons is an attempt at providing the societal context in which this change is
taking place, the key players, and a new title of respect for the all important
person in this modern era, you.
The Dawn of the Attention Society
During the 1980’s and 90’s futurists described a coming era in which access
to information would be available at any time, at any place. It is clear that
we are now living in that time. We now find ourselves inundated with
information in entertainment choices and seek control over the way they fit
into our lives. As the abundance of choices explodes, time has become the most
important commodity and our attention is the new currency.
For most of the modern age of media, a handful of corporate players have been
able to shape our entertainment access by controlling the production,
distribution and marketing. Today media is funded by its popularity through
advertising. The new supply chain is becoming creation-influence-patron. The reduction of cost and increased access to this
supply chain are disruptive forces and we find ourselves in the midst of a
high-stakes game where the rules are still in flux. As media and technology
companies both small and large struggle to find their place in the changing
media landscape, they are discovering that the patron is
always right and that the economics of a patron’s attention and influence holds
the key to their success.
The Economics of Influence
In the era of unlimited access, free distribution, and the premium of our
limited time, individuals will increasingly turn toward sources they trust to
find the information and entertainment that they will enjoy. These trusted
sources will come in three main areas: friends (social networks), the artists
they enjoy (recommendation engines), and the organizations they have a
relationship with (colleges, magazines, as well as the traditional respected
media outlets). These trusted sources will be empowered to influence media
consumption in a direct way. The simple act of recommending a great show, a
cool new song or a news report will soon make the leap from suggested media to
a curated experience.
The Rise of the Media Patron
Recently in Wired Magazine, Ross Levinsohn stated “MySpace gives us the
ability to look inside and understand how hits get created”. While this may be
true, it significantly underestimates the potential of social networks. Sites
like Facebook, MySpace and Bebo are quickly becoming efficient ways for media
to ripple through society, not just places that highlight the next American
idols.
A higher and higher premium
is being based on the recipient of media and their ability to influence others.
The degrading terms of “user” (drug addict) and “consumer” (parasite) have
become embarrassingly inadequate ways of describing the new relationship of
individual to media. In the new paradigm the individual should be accorded the
highest respect. We are all patrons of this digital age.
Historically, a patron has been a person of great wealth
and benefactor of the arts. The connotation brings with it bourgeoisie elitism.
But we all have 24 hours in our day and attention is the new currency. We, who
used to be known as consumers and users are now donating our attention in have
in fact become the new patron.
In the end, the media patron is always right. If we want
the latest news report from Iraq, a blockbuster movie, a music video of their
favorite band, that is exactly what we are going to get. The rest is simply how
we will get it and what we will do with it once they have it.
Media
conglomerates have traditionally monetized their businesses through the
delivery of the million and 1st media product of lowest acceptable
quality.
Today, designers need to remove the barriers of bloated technology, cost, and
limitations to access. Finally, if they hope to create economically competitive
products designers will need to focus on social interactions and human-centric
responses which respect the diversity, complexity and beauty of the individual.
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