The Polarization of Cyberspace

This in courtesy of Mary McNamara of the LA Times. According to Paul Saffo, director of the Institute for the Future in Menlo Park, California:

“Mass media doesn’t exist anymore. Instead we have personal media. Increasingly, people fill their information space with only what they want to see — things that reinforce their worldview. Take away channel surfing, and you never have to see anything that you don’t choose to see.

The old idea that you had to get along with people you might not necessarily like or agree with because they live in your town is vanishing. You can now occupy 100% of your information space with only those things that support your worldview. That is pretty frightening. Cyberspace enforces the idea of like-minded consensual groups, replacing the more diverse community of a city or a neighborhood.”

Nielsen Media Research recently signed licensing agreements with TiVo and DirectTV to monitor the viewing habits of subscribers:

“We decided six months ago that this would be a good idea,” said Scott Brown, senior vice president for strategies, relationships, marketing and technology at Nielsen. “There is a great interest in time shifting within the industry.” So much interest in fact that next year Nielsen will be changing its business model to include DVR and VCR recording and playback habits in the data it collects for television ratings. According to Brown it will create a new world order in the industry. “The currency in how everyone buys and sells television will completely change. And if Nielsen says it, it must be so.”

“`
Editors Note: Scary stuff. That’s all this world needs. So much for tolerance and understanding. Let’s build more walls and create a vacuum so we can hang out with only those who will reinforce our narrow-minded views. Problem is in the real world it doesn’t work that way.