The personalization of Media

We are at the dawn of the age of personalized media. The web has given the world a place where the audience is the publisher and what we are witnessing (and hopefully participating in) is the personalization of media. It will manifest itself in many strange and wonderful ways. But also in many usual and questionable ways.
Connecting is the initial activity of newcomers on MySpace, but they move beyond that quickly.
It is more a way of marketing themselves, of mirroring one own ego, of showing and promoting who and how and when.
MySpace did not try to force people's connecting practices into pre-existing ideas of what should be.
They let the practice evolve as users saw fit, without criticism, without restriction. As it evolved, people did new things with it. They used it to flirt, to advertise bands and activities, to offer cultural kudos.
The key message: Social technologies succeed when they fit into the social lives and practices of those who engage with the technology.
Out of 50 millions blogs 90% are personal journals. Journalism blogging style is more a description of one's daily life than a reporting of news.
Most of the people are more interested in the kind of sex a couple of their age is living than the War in Iraq.
Because that is easy to understand and something you can participate