I’ve pointed you to Steve Rubel, Micropersuasion, a number of times. I hope he’s on your feed list. If you’re in media, marketing or communications I suggest it’s a must have. Anyway, Steve just wrote a great post about how we need to change the way we describe new media. He seems to like “all media” as a term. Here’s some excerpts from his post.
With the democratization of media we’ve come to rely on a bunch of terms that are now completely unnecessary. These include “social media,” “user generated content” and – my favorite – “consumer generated media.” Do any of these matter any more?
The problem with all of these balkanized phrases is that they connote that the content created by digitally empowered individuals is somehow bush league. It’s like we’re a separate entity from the rest of the so-called “mainstream” journalists, filmmakers, photographers, etc. who do what we do and get paid more for it. We sit in a special dish like leftover meatloaf so we need a special name. If you use these phrases you’re unintentionally perpetuating that myth.
The fact is that everyone who is contributing to the dialogue – be it in video, text or photos – has earned the right to be called media. Let’s can the compartmentalization and recognize once and for all the world has changed. We are all media – period.
I like the idea of being a digitally empowered individual. While I was at the IFAJ meeting last week one of the leaders looked at me and said, “You’re always online.” Out of about 30 journalists there I was not only the only one online. I was the only one carrying a computer and using it. And I didn’t have my mobile phone with me and I can’t tell you how many times I reached for it. I felt a little naked without it I can tell you.
One thing I didn’t mention in my post on this week’s ZimmCast is that Adrian Bell, the guy I interviewed, says in the interview that his professional career matches the public introduction and development of the internet. He doesn’t even know a professional world without it. Think about what our young farmers and ranchers are growing up with today (besides websites like AgWired)! In case you’re wondering, I was working professionally before there was an internet. We can learn if we want to.