The Symbiosis of Mainstream and Social Media

Interessant rapport over media !!

The Symbiosis of Mainstream and Social Media
A symbiotic relationship is emerging between mainstream media (such as newspapers and broadcast),
and social media (such as blogs, podcasts, and online social networks). Mainstream media and social
media feed off each other. Blogs provide a vast public forum for discussion of content provided
by major media. Leading blog search engine, Technorati, has enabled every online piece on The
Washington Post, Newsweek and Associated Press newspapers to display the complete blog
discussion about that article, turning an article into a conversation visible to all. At the same time, it
has become common for mainstream media to quote blogs and bloggers, sometimes exclusively,
and the conversations between bloggers often provide the ideas for media stories. Together,
mainstream and social media create a single media landscape in which we can all participate.


Strategic questions:
How can you best draw on social networks for content and ideas?
How can you facilitate social media commenting on and annotating your content?


The consumer/ creator archetype
The history of media has been one of passive consumption. However, today one of the strongest social trends is towards participation.
There are certainly many who are largely content to be “couch potatoes,” consuming the media they are given. Others - particularly
younger people - are keen to create, by establishing blogs or individual spaces on sites like MySpace, or sharing photos or videos online.
Even clicking on a link is a creative act that can impact what other see or don’t see. Yet this is not just about a social divide. Everyone of us is
both a consumer and a creator. Finally today we have been given the power to create for others as well as to consume what we are given.


Strategic questions:
Are consumers or creators more valuable in your business model?
How can you encourage consumers to become creators?


http://www.futureexploration.net/fom06/Future_of_Media_Report2006.pdf