Marketing War
matt said, "...Imagine a marketing group saying that in 6 months, no one will talk about Google.com any more...Then imagine them pulling it off..." But then imagine that this fictional marketing group owns and controls almost all media. Then it doesn't seem so outlandish. And the marketing strategy wouldn't even have to be that good.
I realized something today that's somewhat related. Big media opinion polls don't just reflect the beliefs of large numbers of people, they reflect the effectiveness of the media at persuading large numbers of people into believing the favored view. Perhaps the unprecedented numbers of people involved in peaceful demonstrations around the world reflect a failing of mass media. And I think the Internet has played a key role in that failure by providing alternative views. (Not to mention its role in connecting and organizing people of similar views.)
I realized something today that's somewhat related. Big media opinion polls don't just reflect the beliefs of large numbers of people, they reflect the effectiveness of the media at persuading large numbers of people into believing the favored view. Perhaps the unprecedented numbers of people involved in peaceful demonstrations around the world reflect a failing of mass media. And I think the Internet has played a key role in that failure by providing alternative views. (Not to mention its role in connecting and organizing people of similar views.)