scott, in brief

Been thinking about this.

Youtube, Blogging are key to this new wave of opinion giving. thess are fine and not an issues. The question I have is how the current media are using User generated content as ways to make money.

Making money in this format has of course got historical precedent. The Letters to the Editor page was the original way to have communication between media and user, and include it as a value added piece to make money from it.

My issue is with the indisciminant use of user generated content being passed off as real and serious media.

This thought has been boiling in my head for a week or so. Radio 5live has become a prime example of this. The continued success of You've Been Framed!, the new concept of viewer reporters. The constant sport phone in shows. The nation is not having on conversation. new Labour started the big conversation years ago, relaunched it as lets talk? and is now existing somewhere unseen.

I just get this feeling that there is an encroaching of mainstream media by this new content stream.

Validity
Weight
Gravitas

Outside reporting comment is the second most important thing that defines the attitude/style/political of the media outlet. Without the three things above their is no valid comment. Conversley all is valid. In essence Blogging is the ultimate postmodern multi faceted truth system.

A sport and news station like 5Live by the constant use of phone in's and text polls seems to have the effect in my head of draining the validity/weight/gravitas which otherwise it may have.

I just see this as a bad thing. I don't know why but I am concious and struggling with it.