The Future of Media: Nonpolar Prosumers

I will first begin by tracing this idea through the internet.

I found this at The Politic, where Shane Edwards follows up on an idea from Kate Werk, who comments on an article at BuzzMachine, about an essay in Foreign Affairs, written by Richard N. Haass.

The idea: ideas of democratizing media, as enshrined by the authors of the Cluetrain manifesto, will filter over into politics. This will change our political power structures by eliminating gatekeepers of information. Power goes from being bipolar, as in the Cold War era, to unipolar (as it is now), to non-polar, where any hack with a blog can change the world. It is a molecularization of media, a utopian dream where anyone can broadcast anything they want. A world where information flows freely. No more coverups in government. No more conspiracies to uncover.

Haass writes:

n contrast to multipolarity — which involves several distinct poles or concentrations of power — a nonpolar international system is characterized by numerous centers with meaningful power.

In a multipolar system, no power dominates, or the system will become unipolar. Nor do concentrations of power revolve around two positions, or the system will become bipolar. Multipolar systems can be cooperative, even assuming the form of a concert of powers, in which a few major powers work together on setting the rules of the game and disciplining those who violate them. They can also be more competitive, revolving around a balance of power, or conflictual, when the balance breaks down.

I call bullshit.

As Shane writes:

What will rise in their stead will be the gatekeepers of information. Those gatekeepers will control what information we are allowed to know, and who we are allowed to know it from. They may or may not create content themselves, but they will permit or deny access to the already created content that they do not wish to have us know.

Well, just have a watch of these two videos:

The above video posits the idea of the prosumer, or producer and consumer of media. If Haass is correct, the worldwide web will approach some non-polar ideal where any one prosumer of media has the potential to sway the masses with their message. Thus the rise of the nonpolar prosumer of media.

Watch the Museum of Media history’s Future of Media VIDEO and see if you think it meshes with Haass’ nonpolar world.