101 Culture

This is a blog about the emergence of a digital culture. What might it look like? What can we see already?

And all my other details are kept at benmason.org.


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Culturally digital comedy from Baratunde Thurston

Here's a presentation from comedian Baratunde Thurston at Web2.0 conference.

He talks about a couple of comedy experiments that he started on Twitter and a multitude that he was involved with or watched.

It's well worth a watch. And watch it considering the topics I bang on about on this blog: That with digital media and the internet everything is becoming more collaborative and open. And also how successful ideas start small and public and then grow a evolve with participation.

The audience/producer line is very blurred in the examples Thurston gives. The two projects he founded are comedy collaborations that start with a single tweet. They then grow and evolve into other media, as I've discussed here before.

Nice work.

Entertainment moves from media-space to shop-front

Although this isn't news, Rockstar's move, last year, into music downloads is a clear indication of how entertainment can be funded in the future.
http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2008/03/rockstar-and-amazon-bring-digital-music-distribution-to-gta4.ars
 
We're used to movies, magazines and TV being a housing for advertising. And this status quo has been threatened by digital technology. In an interactive world where users have control, they can skip ads. Rockstar's deal with Amazon allows users to download tracks they hear ingame to be listened to outside it.
 
The entertainment platform has become a shop rather than an ad platform. This could easily be extended into artwork, clothes and even perhaps holidays, at a stretch. The entertainment platform makes the real-life product attractive (as TV ads do now) and provides a way for the user to purchase there and then. It seems to be a better world for the buyer (less intrusive ads, easier purchase) and a better world for seller (more efficient and trackable promotion).
 
As more media becomes comprehensively interactive, this seems like a model to watch. It's not revolutionary but it's smart and simple.