When I first read The Rise of Crowdsurfing by Jeff Howe, my gut reaction was that of sadness for the photographer, Mark Harmel, (and those like him) who could no longer charge his normal price for photos. That's his job, his way to make a living. If that's taken away from him, what will he do? What would I do if I were in his shoes?
But after letting it sink in a bit, I realized that that's just the way the capitalist world works. The person or organization who can produce the better product at a lower price typically 'wins' or gets the business. And, there may still be a market for Mark - maybe in art - but for what Claudia Menashe needed, his price wasn't right. When I think about it, I realize that like Claudia, I'm much more flexible regarding what I need in a photo when I am designing/developing an online course. Obviously price is a big barrier because I'm not allowed to bill for expenses, so my options are find it for free or make it myself. Since I'm usually pretty successful at finding or making what I need free of charge, I continue to use this approach.
Still the question remains - how will the internet transform capitalist business in the future? Will I have to pay for all of the online amenities I currently use and enjoy - like a membership on Facebook or Hulu - in order for these companies to stay in the game? CNN Money points out that web 2.0 sites like Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter aren't making money like they would have hoped. Sure, they have ad space, but are you really paying attention to those as you're clicking through a friend's new photo album? Probably not. So, what's their next step? How will these companies boost their profitability and how will this affect me?
Jen-
ReplyDeleteI too, felt a pang of sadness for Mr. Harmel. I found that I took it two ways:
1. Felt bad that his way of life was severely impacted. I feel this is what mom n pop businesses must have felt like when the big boxes moved in.
2. Felt a twinge of hope that perhaps those displaced by these new business models with lower transaction costs would provide the next innovation that would keep their head afloat. Long shot, I know, but it makes me feel a little better. These big farms of data aren't all good for the economy.
I think you bring up an interesting point about possibly having to pay for Facebook, Twitter, etc. in the future. I know that I will not pay to use those sites, because they're really not ESSENTIAL to my life. Chances are there will always be something newer and cheaper (i.e. free) that comes along as well.
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