Am I the only person questioning Ashton Kutcher’s bid to “change media forever”?
This week, he’s appeared on several talk shows, including Larry King Live and Oprah, congratulating himself on beating CNN in the race to get 1 million followers on Twitter. Regarding the win, he said, “I found it astonishing that one person can actually have as big of a voice online as what an entire media company can on Twitter”. Ashton Kutcher is not just “one person” or another Average Joe. He is a celebrity who owns a production company and has endless connections in Hollywood. He is not the person taking down “old media”, he IS “old media”. Doesn’t that dilute his victory?
Not to mention, as more media consumers also become media producers, it is increasingly difficult to decipher what information is reliable. We NEED “old media”. Many blogs, this one included, rely heavily on newspapers and large media outlets like CNN, for much of their information. Since most bloggers don’t get paid, it would be impossible to hold down a day job and put in the time required to research, edit, and publish news articles that are the same quality as those being published by newspapers like The New York Times or the Boston Herald. Even the most popular websites, like the Huffington Post or the Drudge Report, are pulling the majority of their news from other sources.
I speak from experience as someone who runs their own website and struggles on a daily basis to fact check the information I receive or make enough money to cover my expenses. That is not to say there is isn’t a place for “new media”. The New York Times is never going to publish every filming location in New York City like I will. I think we need to make room for everyone. The majority of people contributing information on the internet do have something to offer but we can’t close the door on “old media”. As small local newspapers are closing, everyone is losing out, the people losing jobs at those outlets and the public that relies on the information only local newspaper can provide.
If you follow Ashton, let him know that “old media” still holds an important place in our society and that we ALL have something to contribute.
