A Demo of PhotoSynth at TED2007 – A Significant Technology for Digital Imaging
Digital content is as important as the oil industry is to the economy. Not only does it fuel its own industry, but it inherently benefits many supplementary markets as well. Digital Content is essential to a strong Information and Communication Technology (ICT) economy. A strong ICT economy also inherently builds a strong democracy. However, big plans are only one part of the chain – afterwhich falls the big execution, and most importantly: it’s executed by passionate people, with integrity.
I would like to highlight 2 macro areas of the digital content industry. First, it’s the industry where corporations are developing high-end content. Second, it’s the industry fueled by user created content (UCC).
DRIVERS OF DIGITAL CONTENT
- Better Broadband Quality.
- Lower Internet Access Costs.
- Better Broadband Availability – Wireless coverage.
- Reduced prices & availability of consumer electronics – Mobile phones, PDAs, Digital cameras & camcorders, etc.
- Reduced prices & better availability of storage – Hard disks, Flash, Thumb drives, etc.
- Technologies to create, and share content – includes user-friendly software.
- The building of online community brands.
- Greater financial expenditure in content creation, distribution, and advertising.
- A public sector interested in catering to internet users of the 21st Century.
COMPANY CREATED CONTENT (CCC)
This is the staple building block of the digital economy. Where great ideas can effect people on a great scale. Reported by Toh Mei Ling, e-Content fund gets moving at last, TheEdge Malaysia, August 20, 2007: 13 companies have been given the green light on the RM150 million (US$43 million) government fund. The successful applicants are;
• Animasia
• Bill Adams
• Decimal Point
• EP Videolabs
• Friedchillies.com
• Les Copaque
• Mindstation
• MoonFX
• MyOutdoor
• Quark Energy Systems
• Saymohm
• Vision New Media
• Visual Xtreme
What I would like to know is; how many of these companies are building platforms, not content ? If none are: then where are the local platform builders? Some notable ones are lifelogger.com, and blinklist.com. Perhaps the terms & conditions of the fund wasn’t commercially viable to them, I do not know.
…, there is a small glimmer of hope that perhaps things may actually be getting better.
– Toh Mei Ling, e-Content fund gets moving at last, TheEdge Malaysia, August 20, 2007.
It is a digital economic lag where many companies are still working with the Web 1.0 mindset in strategy, brand, and design. Some enthusiastic planners try to make a ‘conservative jump’ to Web 2.0, thus the end result; ‘Web 1 1/2′ – more often than not: failing as websites, and not compelling as Web 2.0 requires – thus, failing that too.
USER CREATED CONTENT (UCC)
The internet today is facing a major paradigm shift into what is most commonly known as, Web 2.0. This shift isn’t an option, it is an evolution, and one you cannot stop. This means it is inherent that internet users are encouraged more than ever to: communicate and express themselves.
What does it mean to have a country with citizens that are very well connected in the digital age? This means a citizenry that is knowledge wealthy, and critical on issues. Critical in the sense of; scrutinizing every single bit of information thrown at them. This builds critical thinking abilities, and with it the ability to reason.
The outcome of a successful implementation and education of this process:
- A government that is constantly scrutinized by its citizens. Meaning, leaders that are given federal power are based on performance, not nepotism.
- A government system that is more transparent. This is a crucial factor for a working democracy.
- A Private Sector that is slightly more transparent, and tighter in its corporate policies. In the face of citizen journalism: spurs the maturity rate of; intellectual property laws, the federal liberal legislation, and internal company policies of UCC platform usage (ie. Blogging).
- A citizenship that is highly adaptive. Able to handle the many tasks the international world presents – important in the ever demanding corporate life. After all, it is law that those that adapt fast: survive, otherwise face extinction.
- A connected citizenry. Infrastructure that fosters mobility which in-turn fosters citizen journalism. This makes people want to share their point-of-views, and this forces people to reassess everything in their rigid framework.
UCC however cannot grow in a society that is not conducive to the needs. Like a local government that has strict, conservative laws that are on the gray line when it comes to all things digital. This forces a majority of it’s citizenry to be drones, complacent in their lives, an introvert – and thus scared to divulge anything online. That’s a bad creative environment. One that is rigid, and cannot adapt to a globalized world.
“Amateurs Compete, Professionals Create“.
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