Media: From Consumption to Interaction

I took this photo last night at a friend’s 40th birthday party. It certainly underscores the incredible power of traditional media consumption – there is something mesmerizing about HD TV.

However, more and more, I am seeing media consumption being turned into media interaction. Social media is creeping into our lives, as we await the social toaster to arrive. Three examples:

  • American Idol
    While American Idol has not inherently changed how we interact with television, it did prove that involving your audience can create a level of engagement never before seen in television.

  • Nintendo Wii
    I purchased a Wii with a traditional mindset of being able to “beat the game” that I bought. The other day, I realized that wireless internet was built into the device, and I went online to play other real people. The shift has completely altered how I view videogames. The value and challenge of playing with and against others is incredible when compared to simply beating the machine.

  • Blogs
    I work across dozens of brands within Reed Business Information, and love watching the process of readers of our magazines become content creators for them by creating their own blogs. In the beginning, very few are confident in their ability to blog. After a few months, many of them proclaim how much they love it.

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