We’re definitely in a moment of transition. A moment where an old media system is dying and a new media system is being born. An era when spectatorial culture is giving way to a participatory culture.
So begins this video thoughtpiece by Henry Jenkins, director of MIT’s Comparative Media Studies Program:
Although Jenkins describes the political and educational implications of this media shift, the thrust of his message should not be lost upon us marketers. If you develop content for digital signage, you need to realize that the rules are changing. Visual language is changing. What people find interesting and credible is also changing. And quite possibly, peoples’ desire to influence and affect the content they see in malls, train stations and banks is going to change as well.
Questions abound:
- As participatory culture continues to grow online (and in the increasingly interrelated realm of mobile), how will it begin affect the content we produce for our clients?
- How will user-generated content become part of — or even drive — commercial content?
- How will our content-creation tools need to change?
- How does this fit with the trend toward individualized (i.e., Minority Report) digital signage content?
Please tell us your thoughts! This could be a whole conference unto itself (or at least a meaty panel discussion).
