Ch 4 Citizen Marketers: Everyone is a Publisher; Everyone is a Broadcaster

Ch 4 Citizen Marketers: Everyone is a Publisher; Everyone is a Broadcaster

We become what we behold. We shape our tools and then our tools shape us.
Marshall McLuhan, Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man

It’s hard to believe how media has evolved. Romans, one of history’s greatest civilizations, used to carve into stone in order to broadcast their news. Johann Gutenberg’s moveable type propelled us to the point we are now, and it’s been an amazing transformation.

In the Internet age, there have been blogs, pod casts, RSS feeds, and so many new technologies such as Tivo. Much like when Gutenberg enabled everyone to start reading with moveable type, the Internet enables everyone to be a broadcaster or at least be technologically savvy. Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba says that these technologies, especially Myspace and Youtube are “democratized,” meaning that anyone can navigate them to express themselves (90). It’s like a New Age of Reason or Scientific Revolution, although different tools are used. There are so many new Internet technologies to learn, and it makes me wonder what technology which we thought was new and advanced in the past, if any, will be rendered obsolete.