Writer, Agilist, Elder Geek
As I've noted a few times I'm pretty much only playing Dragon Quest IX game-wise. It's a great, deep, addictive, and just plain fun RPG with a lot to do, plenty of character, and some great challenges.
It's also got a very interesting amount of Downloadable Content.
You want to stay in touch with someone? You can use Facebook. Or Twitter. Or email. Or Plaxo. Or LinkedIn. Or . . . well you get the idea.
Sure there's applications like Flipboard and RSS feeds to try and tie things together. There's plenty of ways to try and arrange your time to keep up on social media. But it seems keeping track of people is awful complicated in this age of technology to make things simpler.
Now for people who want to be known, or who have a lot to say in various media, or who have people who follow them intimately (from friends do just family), this is even more complicated. Some people, for a million or just ten people want to keep in touch.
So I've wondered, in an age where there's many ways to turn simple feeds and data into Apps for Smartphones, iPads etc., are some people going to basically create "Me Apps"?
So as I mentioned last post, the Media Geekonomy is stuck in an Extraction mentality where members of it (Fans, Support, Creators) are often trying to get the most out of their situation. This is exacerbated by regular business practices, attitudes, and technology changes. It's an unpleasant situation, and it can't last forever – because there's a lot of simmering pathology and problems.
Me I'd like it solved because I can see a lot of continuing unpleasantness. I can see more lawsuits and bizarre regulations designed to limit the choices of Fans and keep Creators under control by those in the Support sector. I can see ignorant companies folding, unaware of how the market has changed until they die off. I see Creators loosing out on opportunities or being denied them.
So let's ask what we want the Media Geekonomy to be, and I'd say that the opposite of Extraction (getting as much as possible) is Sustainability. Sustainability is about making sure you have enough now and in the future.