Much of how we relate to information is a function of changed medium (duh!). Consider music - what consumers wanted when Napster appeared, was the ability to control their music, not listen to 12 tracks from an artist when only 2 were wanted. The first reaction to digital music was not of piracy, but convenience. Piracy became more prominent as the music industry pushed back instead of listening to their customers. Similarly, I hear of wikipedia being evaluated in terms of accuracy. For most people, wikipedia is about access to, not accuracy of, information (it's an important distinction - we're ok with "good enough" information when we need it quickly for a basic task or low-level understanding). Newspapers have similarly suffered due to a format that doesn't meet the wants of today's readers. Once the format aligns with the manner in which readers desire news, the ills of the industry are at least slightly abated. Online newspapers are growing: "Newspapers’ online audiences are rising at twice the rate of the general internet audience"
Posted by gsiemens at July 25, 2007 9:41 AM | TrackBack