Old Medias Rules in a New Media World

Old media just sounds mean What else can we call it? Traditional? Then wed be passing out pamphlets run off a Guttenberg or scribed by Monks. Dead Tree? But television media is a lot more like newspapers than new media. How about Passive Media Generally, you are not involved as the media consumer. You get the information as it is given to you and dont have much say. You consume and don't have the opportunity to engage, discuss, share.

How passive media works: Something Happens Media/Source Tells the Story Someone Consuming Media Finds Out But if we take the audience outthe media still exists

you know, in theory

Old Medias Rules in a New Media World

Ok, maybe not new media, either Its not new anymore, and its not defined by the technology. It needs a different distinction that actually explains what is going on. New media is online, but lets break it into two types: Non-linear Social

Whats really the difference between this

and this

Is non-linear media passive? Fundamentally, it is still the old style audio, video, print just online and you pick the order you see it basically a newspaper without Sudoku.

The flow of information hasnt changed Something Happens Media/Source Tells the Story Someone Consuming Media Finds Out just the technology

but, in active media, the audience is everything Something happens The audience discusses it The conversation is the story

And its happening across different mediums

The conversation can start anywhere

and continue somewhere else as something new

Social Media Social isnt the medium...its the action. If the audience doesnt participateit doesnt exist

Heres the difference Passive Source/Many Source Source/Many Source/Many ACTIVE Many Many Many Source/Many Source/Many

Passive Medias Rules in an New Media World

Theyre tryingits adorable: Source: The Bivings Report , The Use of the Internet by Americas Largest Newspapers (2008 Edition) Dec 18 2008 http://www.bivingsreport.com/2008/the-use-of-the-internet-by-americas-largest-newspapers-2008-edition/

Whats happening? The newspaper guild (again, reporters, editors, publishers) can't compete by adding a few blogs here, blogging up coverage over there, and setting up comment sections. If newspapers, magazines, and broadcasters don't produce spectacular news coverage no blogger can match, they have no right to survive. -Jack Shafer, Slate, Jan 28 2006

What guides passive media theory? Media controls the information (Agenda Setting) but not necessarily how we react (Magic Bullet) Media tends to be told from the perspective of the majority (Hegemony Theory)

throw it out the window Source: Flickr user phrenologist

Remember, This is Passive Media: Source Many Many Many Everyone gets the same information because the source is so huge. Its the limitations of passive media that create agenda setting.

What about here? Source/Many Source/Many To be a source, you have to be one of Source/Many the many Source/Many Source/Many Source/Many Source/Many Source/Many Source/Many Source/Many

Why does this work? Lets play a quick game Source: Flickr user MangoPOPTART

The Birthday Paradox The probability of two people out of 57 having the same birthday is over 99 percent. You probably thought about this problem from an individual standpoint. The probability of you having the same birthday as one of those other 56 people is 15 percent. What does this have to do with participatory media? Everything. This same limitation affects passive media

Media For Masses vs. Media For You Traditional media has to appeal to a broad audience. One of the biggest content limitations is that it cant be too specific (yes, even cable). Your birthday is an individual trait that is one out of 365 possibilities. With 364 ways to be wrong, traditional media cant take a chance to be so customized.

but you can take that chance. Source/Many This is you. You have Source/Many chosen to be a part of this conversation. Source/Many Source/Many Source/Many

Actually, it looks more like this: Source/Many Source/Many Source/Many Source/Many Source/Many Source/Many Source/Many Source/Many Source/Many Source/Many You. You Source/Many You. You. Source/Many Source/Many Source/Many Source/Many Source/Many Source/Many Source/Many Source/Many Source/Many

Active media is a choice Its a declaration of the media you want you have made the choice of the agenda of the conversation. Its set by you when you pick where and to whom you are going to talk. The good news is that there are many places to join your conversation.

Power Law Distribution Source: Future Perfect Publishing

The Long Tail in media This happens More here: importantly, it cant happen here: Traditional/Passive Social/Active Original Picture by Hay Kranen / PD

Active media isnt told from the perspective of the hierarchy YOU tell it from YOUR perspective to the people YOU want to talk. Source: Flickr user blue_ocean_powder

Bottom line: Things have changed A centurys worth of traditional media theory has been based on the idea that we act as an audience first. You dont just consume media anymore you are part of it.

we are not driving a car, with gas, brakes, reverse and a lot of choice as to route. We are steering a kayak, pushed rapidly and monotonically down a route determined by the environment. We have a (very small) degree of control over our course in this particular stretch of river, and that control does not extend to being able to reverse, stop, or even significantly alter the direction we're moving in. -C. Shirky, Many to Many, Jan 22 2005 Photo: Flickr user visbeek

(cc) Dave Levy 2009 david.levy@edelman.com Twitter: @levydr Dave Levy is an Account Executive on Edelmans Digital Public Affairs team in Washington, DC. Dave came to Edelman in 2007 after he received a masters degree in public relations at Syracuse Universitys S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. He has a deep background in digital media research and assisted, designed and wrote studies on the effects of interactive media as an undergraduate at Boston College. Dave has also written extensively on how mobile communication can be used as a vehicle for grassroots and public affairs advocacy, as well as the impact of real-time mobile communication on mainstream media during major events or disasters. A self-proclaimed geek, he blogs often about the social aspects of social media at Most Likely To Die Alone.