Back in the day when an Apple was something to be eaten and Captain Kirk boldly traveled the universe instead of trying to sell it to us at the best price, television was the undisputed king of mass media. A handful of channels swept us into entertaining worlds of adventure and escape while introducing us to new products that we somehow couldn’t be without. Gathering around the TV for a football game after Thanksgiving dinner had found its way into our collective psyche.
While television still commands our attention (who doesn’t enjoy the hyperreal sensation of a big flat screen?), these days we live in a world where mass media greets us at every turn and the information flows in two directions. This new “interactive media” (IM ) is becoming more subtle and sophisticated, weaving through our lives in creative and sometimes daring ways.
Currently, the undisputed leader in IM technology is Facebook. Stories abound of crushed relationships, terminated employment and rekindled childhood friendships all through seemingly private postings to one’s Facebook “neighborhood”. Yet, the Facebook neighborhood is massive . In fact, if Facebook were a country it would be the 3rd most populated in the world.
It seems our love affair, or perhaps our addiction with IM in all its forms is showing no signs of slowing down. Perhaps the question we might consider asking ourselves at this point in time is how discerning do we choose to be with the information we share? As the boundary between our public and private lives is getting real blurry, who will decide where all this information flows?
The citizens of Finland may have a handle on the growing demand for IM technology. Last October, the Finnish government declared that internet access (broadband, no less) will become a legal right to all its citizens by July of this year. A government spokesman was quoted, “We think it’s something you cannot live without in modern society. Like banking services or water or electricity, you need Internet connection.” Other European countries are studying the feasibility of this model and the implications of this legislation could be significant.
Closer to home, the demand for improved IM technology is also gaining momentum. In March the FCC submitted an ambitious 10 year plan to congress that would revolutionize our country’s telecommunications infrastructure, essentially replacing over-the-air broadcast television and radio with broadband internet. Proponents of the bill suggest this move will bring us up to speed with other countries (like the cutting-edge Finns), while delivering IM content and ultimately keeping us competitive in a global economy.
IM technology is tricky business. We chuckle ( or quietly cheer) when hearing about someone getting sacked from his job after ranting about his boss on Facebook. Yet last January, within hours of Haiti’s devastating earthquake, this same IM technology quickly delivered millions of dollars in relief aid from individuals texting in donations from their mobile phones.
Make no mistake. Our demand for access to interactive media is growing. The population of Facebook might even catch up with India’s someday. And as the landscape of the IM neighborhood changes, use care when airing your dirty laundry. A Finn might catch wind.
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