Social networks as new media
Evaluating the attractiveness of startups, we can say that MySpace is playing the role of this year’s girl *, and hardly anyone can argue with that. The fact that the “person” belongs to Rupert Murdoch (Rupert Murdoch), it seems, only strengthened the general desire - all have panties bristling. It seems that almost all media companies, all the investment funds of the planet are currently huddled on the dance floor, and everyone hopes to be the first to recognize the next beauty queen from the social networks.
Moreover, in the midst of such an agiotage, it would be better for anyone to step back a little, take a deep breath, and finally realize what an essential thing is: the phenomenon of social networks is a component of one of the largest macro trends generated by the Global Network - namely, digital self-expression. Social networks in their current development (along with other forms of social media, such as blogging or online video sharing) represent only the tip of the iceberg, if we consider the potential of digital self-expression in the long term.
At first, corporations managed Internet 1.0, creating virtual storefronts and laying down the beginnings of e-commerce, now in their place are users from all over the globe - they are learning to handle the enormous power that a hyperlink contains in order to build a real parallel universe, a universe of virtual personalities . Virtual personalities, like everything else on the Internet, are not subjects of geographic boundaries, legal laws, as well as laws of physics and other restrictions inherent in the protein life form. As such, the length of the “digital self” is very significant, just like its possible involvement in the media industry. In many respects, the art form of virtual self-expression itself has become a new media, and social networks are its channel of distribution.
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The key to understanding is the fact that the very architecture of social networks is an opportunity to bring self-expression to a new level. This applies equally to self-expression measures, as well as the breadth of audience coverage (the number of "friends", "six links in the chain of acquaintances" ** and other similar things). A simple example: a MySpace user can have thousands of "friends." Previously, this was not possible on the Internet, even with innovations such as chat rooms, email, forums and instant messaging. Moreover, users can now express themselves in a multidimensional way, through text, photos, audio and video - again, at a level that was previously unthinkable.
To a certain extent, self-expression should be viewed as a new industry that will exist along with such traditional media as cinema, television, radio, newspapers and magazines. Only in this new industry, people themselves become the raw material for the finished product, or, as Marshall McLuhan would say, when it comes to social networks, people are information. ” Thus, each player who wants to enter this market and become the next event in the field of social networks should first of all consider self-expression and social networks as a new type of media, and the audience as a “cultural product” of the new generation.
In the last century, culture products were created primarily in Hollywood. With the advent of social networks, the concept of a cultural product has expanded, incorporating “identity creation” (a very appropriate term proposed by Danah Boyd). Everyone is involved in culture now, and this leads to the decentralization of the system . Traditional media companies wishing to enter new space (such as MTV , Martha Stewart , etc.), it is important to support the development of a new medium and use all our products for this, which can offer the audience a deeper and more interesting concept of self-realization.
Imagine ... if American Idol had neither experienced, talented producers, nor directors, or scriptwriters, but only the contestants themselves. With all the charm of the latter, the quality of the final product, the level of emotional involvement of the audience, the ratings and the commercial potential of the enterprise as a whole would hardly have reached the level of everything we used to watch on TV. The same with social networks. People want to express themselves, and the platforms that allow them to do this in the most exciting way will be popular.
* it girl - English , "Such a girl, when looking at that every man thinks about it."
** - There is a hypothesis according to which every inhabitant of the Earth, searching for common friends, comes into contact with any other inhabitant of the earth, while the number of intermediaries will not be more than five. First sounded in 1929 in the story of the Hungarian writer Frigyes Karinti (Frigyes Karinthy) "Chains".
Robert Young is a pioneer in many areas of the Internet, he played a significant role in the creation and commercialization of the world's first Internet provider, aimed at the mass consumer. Participated in the development of pay-per-click advertising, free e-mail and the principle of superdistribution (“free copying” of digital information).
Moreover, in the midst of such an agiotage, it would be better for anyone to step back a little, take a deep breath, and finally realize what an essential thing is: the phenomenon of social networks is a component of one of the largest macro trends generated by the Global Network - namely, digital self-expression. Social networks in their current development (along with other forms of social media, such as blogging or online video sharing) represent only the tip of the iceberg, if we consider the potential of digital self-expression in the long term.
At first, corporations managed Internet 1.0, creating virtual storefronts and laying down the beginnings of e-commerce, now in their place are users from all over the globe - they are learning to handle the enormous power that a hyperlink contains in order to build a real parallel universe, a universe of virtual personalities . Virtual personalities, like everything else on the Internet, are not subjects of geographic boundaries, legal laws, as well as laws of physics and other restrictions inherent in the protein life form. As such, the length of the “digital self” is very significant, just like its possible involvement in the media industry. In many respects, the art form of virtual self-expression itself has become a new media, and social networks are its channel of distribution.
')
The key to understanding is the fact that the very architecture of social networks is an opportunity to bring self-expression to a new level. This applies equally to self-expression measures, as well as the breadth of audience coverage (the number of "friends", "six links in the chain of acquaintances" ** and other similar things). A simple example: a MySpace user can have thousands of "friends." Previously, this was not possible on the Internet, even with innovations such as chat rooms, email, forums and instant messaging. Moreover, users can now express themselves in a multidimensional way, through text, photos, audio and video - again, at a level that was previously unthinkable.
To a certain extent, self-expression should be viewed as a new industry that will exist along with such traditional media as cinema, television, radio, newspapers and magazines. Only in this new industry, people themselves become the raw material for the finished product, or, as Marshall McLuhan would say, when it comes to social networks, people are information. ” Thus, each player who wants to enter this market and become the next event in the field of social networks should first of all consider self-expression and social networks as a new type of media, and the audience as a “cultural product” of the new generation.
In the last century, culture products were created primarily in Hollywood. With the advent of social networks, the concept of a cultural product has expanded, incorporating “identity creation” (a very appropriate term proposed by Danah Boyd). Everyone is involved in culture now, and this leads to the decentralization of the system . Traditional media companies wishing to enter new space (such as MTV , Martha Stewart , etc.), it is important to support the development of a new medium and use all our products for this, which can offer the audience a deeper and more interesting concept of self-realization.
Imagine ... if American Idol had neither experienced, talented producers, nor directors, or scriptwriters, but only the contestants themselves. With all the charm of the latter, the quality of the final product, the level of emotional involvement of the audience, the ratings and the commercial potential of the enterprise as a whole would hardly have reached the level of everything we used to watch on TV. The same with social networks. People want to express themselves, and the platforms that allow them to do this in the most exciting way will be popular.
* it girl - English , "Such a girl, when looking at that every man thinks about it."
** - There is a hypothesis according to which every inhabitant of the Earth, searching for common friends, comes into contact with any other inhabitant of the earth, while the number of intermediaries will not be more than five. First sounded in 1929 in the story of the Hungarian writer Frigyes Karinti (Frigyes Karinthy) "Chains".
Robert Young is a pioneer in many areas of the Internet, he played a significant role in the creation and commercialization of the world's first Internet provider, aimed at the mass consumer. Participated in the development of pay-per-click advertising, free e-mail and the principle of superdistribution (“free copying” of digital information).
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/30851/
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