A video of a panel response on where the Internet is heading in the future. ‘The Web: 2012′.
A panel on the future of commerce, journalism, and community on the Internet, featuring Barry Diller, Arianna Huffington, and Craig Newmark. Moderated by Ken Auletta. From “2012: Stories from the Near Future,” the 2007 New Yorker Conference.
The speakers and moderator: Barry Diller; Arianna Huffington; Craig Newmark; Ken Auletta
In a closer look at this webcast it was interesting to see the differing perspectives of Barry Diller (fox/e-commerce) and Craig Newmark (social media/Craigslist). Diller argues that professional media practitioners will in the future be taking up a more significant role in the user-generated domain. A viewpoint that has some connections with Andrew Keen’s recent book ‘The Cult of the Amateur: How today’s Internet is killing our culture’.
Panel Discussion:
Ken Auletta: …will user-generated content (like YouTube..) be as popular as produced content?
Barry Diller: “…the talent pool is finite there are only so many people that make programming that will resonate with a lot of people…these are very early days in video…as it evolves people who are trained and professional at it will get in the mix…”
In contrast Newmark envisions a extended use of social media as a means to provide a varied mix of viewpoints from all types of people.
“…I do see people who we would consider to be amateurs actually doing the heavy lifting in media and quality in media today…”
Arianna Huffington (news/The Huffington Post) sees a hybrid mix of the two types of content producers with citizen journalism playing a major role.
Arianna Huffington:
“…not just reporters but the wisdom of the crowd mechanism…users put together pieces…a hybrid future [mixing both print and online]”
Perhaps the hybrid approach is slightly more realistic in relation to user-generated content where these two types of content producers will develop separately and the distinguishing line will blur even more between the two. What is obvious is the nervousness of the traditional broadcasters who are working hard on ways to tap the user-generated pool.