For Wednesday, February 26, 2014, here are some media stories of note:
Marc Andreessen, the veteran Internet developer and founder of Netscape, argues in an essay on his blog that the future is immensely bright for news --- as in exponentially larger, due to the ability to reach audiences. But he prescribes significant change: better ads, an aversion by business to free provision of good content, a tier of paid high-end content, philanthropy as support, crowdfunding and bitcoin payments, among others. The result will be a commingled media, one large Twitter stream. He argues some factors hold back the business: bloated cost structures, a focus on objectivity, among others. It won't be easy, he says.
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The days of simply grazing among your Facebook friends are over. CNET notes the social media platform is beginning to insert more than advertising into your NewsFeed: posts it feels you might want to consume. If you've Liked a page, chances are Facebook will show you something it tags as a way to widen your view.
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Bob Garfield, the host of NPR's On The Media, writes of the Faustian pact native advertising offers journalism in its existential crisis. He wonders why advertisers, if they're so confident of their brands, feel it necessary to emulate journalism to sell themselves. He also wonders why journalism is taking this short-term return with long-term consequences.
Marc Andreessen, the veteran Internet developer and founder of Netscape, argues in an essay on his blog that the future is immensely bright for news --- as in exponentially larger, due to the ability to reach audiences. But he prescribes significant change: better ads, an aversion by business to free provision of good content, a tier of paid high-end content, philanthropy as support, crowdfunding and bitcoin payments, among others. The result will be a commingled media, one large Twitter stream. He argues some factors hold back the business: bloated cost structures, a focus on objectivity, among others. It won't be easy, he says.
***
The days of simply grazing among your Facebook friends are over. CNET notes the social media platform is beginning to insert more than advertising into your NewsFeed: posts it feels you might want to consume. If you've Liked a page, chances are Facebook will show you something it tags as a way to widen your view.
***
Bob Garfield, the host of NPR's On The Media, writes of the Faustian pact native advertising offers journalism in its existential crisis. He wonders why advertisers, if they're so confident of their brands, feel it necessary to emulate journalism to sell themselves. He also wonders why journalism is taking this short-term return with long-term consequences.
