The Truth About The Democratization of the Internet4

By Marti Resteghini, Sep 14, 2011 in P.O.V.

This article is going to get me into trouble. It’s going to bunch up some panties and set fingers ablaze tweeting and commenting.

Bring it. Tell me how I’m wrong, how I’m misinformed, how I’m biased because I work for a video publisher and I’ve worked in the studio system. Get me fired!

However, if you agree or are the least bit intrigued by my postulations, use them as a springboard for your own hypothesis about what the Internet is really about, and share them with your personal audience. Let them know that when they watch a video or read a blog, they are supporting the future of a filmmaker or blogger. Otherwise, those people will eventually be overshadowed by an AOL clone. And THAT’S the true democracy created by the Internet: getting yourself heard and motivating action.

The Internet began as a form of simple communication, much like the telephone or newspaper. Like its predecessors, it evolved, matured, and became, not only a business itself, but also a vehicle for smaller businesses. And, like its predecessors, it is evolving into a mega-business owned and operated by a select few.

But wait, you say, the Internet is not owned by anyone, it is of the people. What about the millions of blogs out there run by individuals?

When you consider that 30 companies, including Google, Microsoft, Facebook, and YouTube control a growing 30% of Internet traffic, you begin to see a trend. Just think about it. Google is currently combing through everything you do online, sorting it and cataloging it, for some use now and forever. Microsoft is figuring out how to seamlessly target you with tailored ads – familiar with your most menial hobbies and biggest purchases. Facebook is taking stock of your comments. Twitter feeds are being stored, for all time, in the Library of Congress.

To REALLY put this into perspective, marinate on the fact that Google owns YouTube, the epitome of so-called Internet democratization. Google/YouTube employees are busy in their cubicles figuring out what to place on their homepage, what to fund, and what to ban. Google, the largest indexer of pornography, promotes Lady Gaga’s ultra racy music video “Telephone” while countless independent videos are flagged/banned for growing too fast or having “offensive” content. Does that sound like democracy to you?

So what does this mean to the beautiful, utopian idea that the Internet is a place where you can make all your dreams come true? It offers up a reality check.

Studios, media companies, and venture capitalists are going to stay at the front of the line when it comes to forging the future of the Internet. They have the money to keep trying new models until one hits. Does that sound like democracy to you?

So the question is: can Joe Blow sell his music, e-book, or t-shirt, and make a living doing it? Yes and no. It IS possible for a nobody to make a living on the Internet. That person, however, is not Joe Blow. That is Joe Business. Joe Business would have succeeded before the Internet – assuming he understood his market and how to reach them in relation to his place in time. Can Jane Doe command an audience, filling minds with her point of view? Yes. But again, Jane Doe is really Jane Tastemaker. She understands her audience, how to reach them, how to communicate, and how to turn that into a full time gig. Not everyone can do that. Just because they’re giving away soap boxes doesn’t mean anyone wants to listen to what you have to say or sell.

The Internet has provided a new set of tools for an old set of results. So in reality, what we’re dealing with is not a reinvention of the wheel but a better wheel.

What does this all mean for regular folks? It means you may not be tenacious, talented, or powerful enough to command an army by yourself, but you can join forces with others like you to form a Voltron-like force to be reckoned with. As a group, you can rally behind a thought, applaud an individual, or complain about an injustice, and be heard. It’s never been easier. But then again, it’s entirely possible that a large corporate entity will drown out your message with a louder, better-funded voice.

Marti Resteghini is the Editor-in-Chief of The Sixth Wall. Formerly, she was the VP of Network Programming and Acquisitions at KoldCast TV. Prior to joining KoldCast, Marti served as vice president of development and production at Warner Bros.-based production company, HDFilms, where she oversaw the development, production and distribution of feature films, television and new media content across multiple platforms. In this post, Marti produced many high-profile original series including “Chadam,” “Creepshow: Raw,” based on the 1980s cult classic feature film, and Crackle’s “The Jace Hall Show.”