Counting on Clay Shirky
October 3, 2009 by John Proffitt · Leave a Comment
If Clay Shirky is right about Here Comes Everybody, then this social media counter is simply the latest proof.
Two astonishing things:
- Texting (SMS) is far more popular than searching Google (communication beats search)
- This is only the beginning — let’s see these counters in another 5 or 10 years
The conclusion? Mass media is shrinking rapidly at the hands of participatory media. It’s not absolute (one kills the other), but it is a complete reshuffling of the deck.
Are you connecting in your public media practice, or are you broadcasting?
For the last 15 years I've done what comes naturally to anyone with degrees in English, earth science and education: I taught high school for a year then worked as an IT pro in healthcare, banking, consulting and government contracting (of course!). But I also spent nearly 5 years in Alaska's largest public media company, taking the traditional radio / TV / statewide news operation online and realizing traffic gains of more than 700% in just 18 months. Now I'm the Director of Digital Engagement for KETC / The Nine Network in St. Louis, focused on real and virtual community building around issues of public importance. Learn More