new media - the evolution

I found this interesting article on Economist.com this morning, as I was researching new media solutions. The article explores the history of media from the discovery of the technology of movable type in 1448 to new media as it is today, and in particular the “reincarnation” of movable type.

These two incarnations of movable type make convenient (and very approximate) historical book-ends. They bracket the era of mass media that is familiar to everybody today. The second Movable Type, however, also marks the beginning of a very gradual transition to a new era, which might be called the age of personal or participatory media. This culture is already familiar to teenagers and twenty-somethings, especially in rich countries. Most older people, if they are aware of the transition at all, find it puzzling.

The article is definately a worthwhile read. What I find exciting is the discussion of how new media is participatory, providing for new business models where the “audience” or “consumer” actually input information and knowledge instead of just sitting pretty at the receiving end.

This is a repost of a post I originally published on chilibean, a blog I co-author on.