The author of this article, Andrew Keen, believes the there are “grave” consequences as a result of today’s participatory “Web 2.0”, such as threatening our values, economy, and creativity. Describe in detail 3 of the American “institutions” (values, economic institutions, etc) that Keen feels are threatened in this chapter, and explain why he feels this way.
Close each section by agreeing with or refuting his arguments. You can use examples from the reading or from other online sources.
Andrew Keen examines many American institutions which are being threatened by the rise of piracy. Overall, I feel that he feels that a lot of creativity and intelligence is being sacrificed because people still need to make money. The entertainment industry is suffering because of the availability of the downloading of texts, movies, and music online. New superficial reality television shows and online movie rental services are on the rise, as it is a cheaper way of providing entertainment and making fast cash. However, what are we really sacrificing in the process?
Keen makes a valid claim that Hollywood is in Crisis. The sales from DVDs and box office receipts are less and less likely to balance out the high production costs of the movies. New methods of being able to watch independent films online the same day as they are released in the theater shows the desperation of filmmakers to try and work with the Internet. Keen discusses other methods which moviemakers use to try to work with the Internet to advertise their films but fail, like Snakes on a Plane. The strategy was ineffective in attracting people to go see the movie in theatres. However, it could have also been because the concept of the movie seemed ridiculous and just plain stupid. The one thing that Keen also fails to realize is that people enjoy going to the movies. It’s something to do on a night out. People will never stop going to the movies and downloading them illegally off the Internet or buy them bootlegged doesn’t provide the person with a high quality film, and I don’t think people are ready to give up on quality with all the push of HD and Blueray movies.
Keen also sees how the world of advertising is being threatened and in turn is having an effect on the kind of television that we see. Sponsors of some of our most loved television programs, such as Daimler-Chrysler and Ford are cutting their advertising budgets because people are using DVR or TiVO to fast forward commercials. We are now receiving the majority of our dose of advertising through the cheaper reality and game shows. Keen quotes Jeff Zucker, CEO of NBC Universal’s television group who said that advertiser interest wasn’t high enough to justify spending on scripted shows, such as Friends or Seinfeld. In reality, the entertainment industry is as much of a business as anything else and needs money to function. The quality of our entertainment is not going to be what we want it to be since the advertisers can no longer spoon feed us their jingles.
Keen also discusses the threat to American news. People are getting their news online and more and more people would rather watch celebrity news. NBC cut costs in 2006 by eliminating 5 percent of the company’s workforce. The “personality” of the news is now upholding more value than the content so what we hear can be slanted or cut because it’s not what we “want to see.” Traditional newspapers are also at risk of survival because of the availability of the news online and the shift of advertisers online instead of in-print.
As wonderful as the Internet is on a personal level, it is causing the nation’s top industries to tremble. If the effects grow more drastic, who knows what will happen to these industires. They could possibly be replaced, as old systems once were, affecting our economy, our entertainment, and the way we recieve information.
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.
Today people don’t have to put themselves out there to have an impact on how society functions because of the anonymity of the Internet. I interpret Sir Thomas Moore’s quote “sheep are devouring men,” as the sheep being those who hide behind their computers, making millions, while those who are not able to keep up with the ever changing technology as the men.
An example I found in the reading was the web-based movie renting service, Netflix. Independent and even conglomarate video stores are suffering because people no longer have to leave their house or go out of the way to get a movie. The sheep are those hiding behind the Netflix Internet, not having to deal directly with the customer. They provide customer service through the phone, but that is how far they'll go. This is the same case for the post office. People no longer send mail. E-mail is much faster and efficient so people are no longer interacting in the post offices across the Nation.
More and more of the news is becoming web-based also. Now everyday people even have the right to share their "news" online. They don't need to fully present themselves to share what they feel is important. More and more people are hiding behind their computers, even people who are not trying to make money online through networking sites like Faceboook or Myspace.
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