On Techcrunch, guest contributor Eric Clemons of the Wharton School at University of Pennsylvania has the kind of posting that feels every bit as threatening/breathtaking/frightening for advertising as one of those throw-out-the-presses posts would have for journalism.
Clemons believes the Internet is shattering the world of advertising, and that it will fail because it is not trusted, welcome or needed. He views the ad as passe and believes other models will emerge to monetize the Internet --- selling virtual things or selling access, for instance.
But he believes the liberation that comes from using the Internet for other services is applicable to advertising.
"The Internet is about freedom, and I suspect that a truly free population will not be held captive and forced to watch ads. We always knew that freedom comes at a price; perhaps the price of Internet freedom and the failure of ads will be paying a fair price for the content and the experience and the recommendations that we value."
