Current Conversation: Where are we going?
One of the most exciting conversations going on in media today is: Where is the Internet headed? And how will that affect or change journalism as we know it? Will newspapers go online-only? Will blogs and user-generated content platforms become more prevalent, as readers become used to the idea of adding to the conversation, and journalists continue to spark ideas for communities to react to publicly (on message boards, in comments sections of blogs, in videos, etc.).
As newspapers and other publications are seeing enormous changes, the conversation turns to how to continue to provide quality content in all forms.
The publishing industry is seeing changes in books with Amazon's Kindle (and other electronic readers), and in 2009 the Senate held a hearing spotlighting the future of news.
Social networks, YouTube, Twitter, and so on. These each play a part in the evolving World Wide Web. Mobile technology, video, and really simple syndication (RSS) will no doubt play a larger part in the daily lives of consumers, as modern life becomes literally more mobile.
Here's an interesting quote: "In its current state, the Web is often described as being in the Lego phase, with all of its different parts capable of connecting to one another. Those who envision the next phase, Web 3.0, see it as an era when machines will start to do seemingly intelligent things." - John Markoff, New York Times
Important Links and Things to Think About
Berkman Center for Internet & Society
Bits: Business, Innovation, Technology, Society
Mobile Marvels: A special report on telecoms in emerging markets
Mobile-Phone Culture: The spirit of the machines may be wiping away cultural differences
Senate Hearing Spotlights Three Hard Truths About the Future of Journalism