The REAL Reason for the Decay of MSM or When It’s Right to Write
The quality of my mainstream media (MSM) user experience - be it online or offline - has been in steady decline for the past two decades. And it is only getting worse. And I even detect this disappointment and hostility in my writing, as there are many of my posts that contain the theme “Hey, dummy, I’ve been talking about this for months - why are you just discovering and/or re-hashing this now?” And I’m tired of writing this way. I didn’t start this blog with the idea of being a media watchdog - though I am glad there are those whose serve this important function. It’s just not me. What I want to discuss is why so much of MSM is so awful, and why there is so much great, original, value-added content being deposited on the Internet each and every day. And then I can get back to writing my own content without throwing stones at others; all the stones are being thrown today.
Why MSM Sucks
- A giant portion of what’s created is not original, either the ideas or the commentary around them.
- It is hard to separate the good from the garbage, as such a high percentage of MSM content is, in fact, garbage.
- The medium is not designed to have a conversation, an exchange of ideas that is dynamic and has life and can help readers achieve greater understanding.
- It looks and feels tight and inflexible.
- It artifically places itself on a higher plane, leading to perceptions of elitism that once was an asset but now has become a crushing liability.
- It is not by the people, for the people. It is by a small group of individuals for a small group of individuals. And that is ok - but then don’t call yourself “mainstream” and purport to be serving a higher purpose. Mainstream is now the blogosphere.
- It is clear that it is not comfortable in its own skin, and it is working to cultivate an online, “hipper,” more conversational identity that just isn’t working.
Are these generalizations? Of course. But, in general, I think these points are directionally correct.
What is the Media Value Stack?
The success of media models - regardless of the medium - is just like the financial markets: it is all about value creation. So where is the value? Is it in the creation of original content? Is it in aggregation of top content creators? Is it in providing users with the opportunity to share, comment and collaborate? Is it in the ability to excite, interest and stimulate users? Does it have to do with tagging and labeling interesting content for future reference? The answer: yes to all of the above. In fact, this might be my cut at the media value stack:
- The creation of original content, that
- Is mixed and presented with other relevant content, which
- Excites, interests and stimulates users, and
- Provides them the ability to share, comment and collaborate about the aggregated content, be it the content itself or comments about the content, which
- Can be tagged and labeled for future use.
Now look at this value stack and tell me: how well does MSM do delivering this stack? In general I’d say pretty poorly. Could this be why MSM is coming under so much pressure? Is the threat really about the rise of the blogosphere or is it because MSM is failing to deliver against the stack I’ve listed above? I’d posit that the “Internet threat” is pretty much a red herring - what it’s REALLY about is a failure of culture and business model to adapt to changing times. And has the blogosphere specifically and the Internet in general hastened these changes? Sure. But does that mean, by definition, that MSM doesn’t have the means to rise to the challenge? No. They have all the assets in the world with which to compete. They just don’t use them properly, and this is a failure of culture and leadership, not of some fundamental inability to compete. Rupert Murdoch understands this. He is the one MSM media-type that kind of gets it. Politics aside, his moves across an array of media assets shows that he is much more in touch with the value stack than any other media leader. And it shows in News Corporation’s results and growth in asset value.
When is it Right to Write?
When you have something to say, not when you need to fill column inches. When you care what people think about what you are writing, and when you are able to put your thoughts out there openly, honestly and without prejudice. When you want to solicit other’s views on a topic by seeding a conversation with your own thoughts and opinions. When you are driven by a passion to be heard, not because someone says you have to crank out a story. You get the picture.
People are smart. MSM thinks they are dumb. People can smell bullshit and a lack of passion a mile away. And this is what’s wrong with much of MSM. It has become pro forma. It has lost all affect. And it shows. People are voting with their feet, their pocketbooks, and their clicks. And unless MSM wakes up, really tries to understand what is motivating their constituency and shifts their business models and business strategies accordingly, they are dead. And it has nothing to do with the Internet. The problem lies within.
