Wednesday, August 01, 2007

It begins: The internet eating into TV/Radio

According to a CTV story Canadians spent more time online last year at the expense of conventional radio and tv. It should be pointed out that all of this ultimately won't matter. The best way to plan for the future, if you're in media, is to stop thinking of your tv, radio, telephone (including cell), and computer as seperate things - very soon they will not be. Each of these will perform all of the functions of the other with the only real difference being size and portability.

It is great news though for independent media and independent artists. As long as net neutrality remains in place the line between 'big media' and small/independent media will blur. There will be nothing to stop someone from visiting your indie media site instead of CTV or Global. It will also kill geographic boundries. There will always be some demand for local stuff, but when people turn to look beyond their neighbourhood your little website/podcast/internet radio station in rural Saskatchewan is available to people in Toronto, Sydney, London, and Tokyo.

It will be, in effect, a global free trade zone for art and ideas. When asked the question: If you could live in any era of history, which would it be? I've always answered - right now.

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