Economic Engine of The Media Industry Graded Discussion
In the book advertising was discussed as the tool that drives the economic engine of the media industry, at least in the United States. But as I covered in one of the videos, advertising as a way to pay for media content was not a foregone conclusion and we aren’t necessarily wedded to it moving forward. Moreover, in the Ted talk in the last module we heard an argument that advertising (as it currently exists) is dying, because commercial interruptions are so much less effective in a new media environment.
Against that backdrop, let’s build an argument for a new economic model moving forward for converging media industries. How should we (the industry, consumers, or whomever) pay for content on a Web-based entertainment platform (whether it be videos, music, books, news, or whatever)? In your discussion post below, you could propose a tweak to our commercial-based advertising model, you could propose a new non-advertising economic model, and/or you could recycle or appropriate a different existing model from other industries or other countries. Feel free to think outside the box here; try to get outside of the narrow window of your own media experiences. Make your argument with at least one piece of evidence that shows that what you’re proposing is a good idea and actually has a reasonable chance of succeeding. That could come from the course materials or from other sources around the Web, but again you’re trying to be persuasive here, so a purely opinion-based pitch is not very effective. Also, be sure to read through other responses. If someone has posted an idea that you like, you are welcome to build on it or even just support their plan in its entirety, but if you do so, you still need to bring some unique piece of evidence to the argument (e.g., “I like what Jane Doe suggested, and I’d propose following that plan. Here’s why I think it would work…[new evidence]…”).