One of the first values Keen discusses is the value we place on media. He points out how it is apparent that the value consumers place on media has significantly diminished which can be seen by the influx of pirated material. As Keen stated, “…companies simply can’t make money by providing high-quality content – be it music, movies, or news – for free.” With programs like Limewire, and the placement of news and television shows in the Internet, it’s almost impossible to create any revenue. Whereas respect used to be shown to media artisans through the purchasing of their material, today in the Internet age, that respect has fallen to the side as consumers care more about what they can get for free.
I feel as though piracy is a huge issue. I know that I have previously downloaded music for free because it is so tempting. However, I’ve grown to feel that piracy is a huge issue and it’s disappointing to see how many consumers take advantage of the entertainment industry. Media artisans put a lot of work and effort into creating things for our society and we have taken advantage of the many media outlets and venues we have. Furthermore, we have lost the idea of respecting their work and talents.
Keen also mentions the economic effects of society’s lack of value attributed to the media. As a result of the Internet, the movie, newspaper, book, and record industries have all take a very hard hit. Movie theaters have seen decline in ticket sales as bootlegged and pirated copies of the film pop up on the Internet just hours after a release. Internet movie rental companies have demolished brick and mortar stores such as Video Source and Blockbuster. More and More people are moving to the Internet to get their news. Not only can they read the majority of the news for free on different news sites, but many sites also offer movie clips which is resulting in further loss of television news viewers. Furthermore, sites such as YouTube offer news clips for free as well. The loss of small bookstores has also been a result of the Internet. As the huge chains movie to the Internet, they can offer deals and low prices on a larger inventory that small stores just cannot provide. Consumers have made cost and convenience their number one priority. No longer does the personal aspect and high level of knowledge of sales people matter to consumers the way it used to. Sites like Amazon.com offer great prices on not only books but music too. For those that do actually purchase their music, many people have stopped going to record stores and instead moved online. As the use of mp3 players has risen, fewer and fewer people purchase an actual CD and instead download the music from the internet. This has caused not only small record stores, but huge national chains to close as a result.
I agree that the Internet has caused some serious financial issues for the media industries. As I said before I find pirating upsetting and thus agree with Keen when he speaks about the negative affects the Internet has had on the movie and music industries. The news industry has also been hurt because all the different corporations were too intent on competing with each other and offered more and more benefits for free. Now they’ve moved so much to the Internet that in some ways it may be their own fault. I also feel as though society as a whole is currently into a very independent and anonymous state of mind. Consumers are not concerned so much with face to face and physical interaction with each other as before and this is probably due to the Internet. However, I believe that at some point, society will want to get back to legitimate interaction and when that time comes, small book stores, music stores and movie theaters will flourish. Consumers will again place high value on real customer service.
The third institution Keen discusses is the value of culture. Unfortunately, consumers no longer attribute much value to culture as we have been inundated with so much media that it’s difficult to discover what is legitimate and what is not. Today, companies make so much money off of providing us with second rate media and services that are pure profit makers. No longer do the most profitable companies create a tangible benefit for society. As Keen explains, Google did not create enough of a valuable service to make the amount of money that they do. He states, “In terms of value creation, there’s nothing there apart from its links. The core of Google’s business, 99 percent of its revenue, lies in its sale of advertising.” The current most successful companies are the ones which have a “bring-your-own-content” business model. Facebook, Myspace, YouTube, and SecondLife are all extremely profitable companies, but all they really created was a place for people to put their own content.
In some ways I see what Keen is saying. Many of the most profitable companies today do not provide society with a benefit worthy of their profits. Society isn’t getting buildings, bridges, or school systems. They’re just getting a place to put their own thoughts and content. On the other hand, it is difficult to accuse these companies of providing service of low value when it is obvious that society and consumers want it. The number of people who use these sites is enough to prove their worth.
2. In this article, the author makes a reference to Sir Thomas Moore’s satirical novel from 1515, Utopia. Explain what the idea of “the sheep are devouring men” means and explain how Keen relates this to the Web 2.0 world. Please use an example from the reading or another source to illustrate your answer.
When Keen makes a reference to Sir Thomas Moore’s Utopia, he points out how “the sheep devouring the men” refers to how average consumers are taking control over media specialists. We as a society used to follow media specialists, whether they were news reporters, musical groups, movie directors, actors or authors, and accept their talents. Now, consumers have taken a step forward by creating their own media. Whereas journalists were once given high value for their work, today any consumer can write an article. Before, television show producers and directors were highly respected. Today, many average people create their own television shows and broadcast them on the Internet. The only people who escape being devoured by consumers are the owners of the very sites these consumers take control. Unfortunately, the actions of consumers today may put media specialists’ occupations in jeopardy.
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