Human history can be seen as a struggle over the means and modes of communication. When radio first emerged, publishers complained that radio news departments did not have enough reporters and editors to uphold the high journalistic standards of print. When television threatened newspapers, editors called TV reporters ‘parasites’. Going further back, the Catholic theologian Desiderius Erasmus complained, ‘ To what corner of the world do they not fly, these swarms of new books?’
Once again modes of communication are changing. Thanks to the emergence of powerful and easily accessible social technologies, everyone has their own printing press. The Internet has become a public space for open conversation. You cannot shoehorn old media and old models into this new form.
What is so distinctive about social media content is the fact that it is infinitely changeable and flexible. Text is no longer a final product but an ongoing process such as a blog or a wiki.
Our experience of media is becoming open, shared, remixed, based more on process than on product. It is becoming collaborative, amateur and endless.
Within this networked economy, leading companies can no longer control everything they survey. Companies are understanding they are a member of a new emerging ecosystem and in this context relationships are an opportunity to create value and new efficiencies.
To be successful, companies need to create and distribute the best content for their key stakeholders. Finding the best pathways for your content and developing valuable content is critical.
Strong content creates an emotional and intellectual connection between a company and it’s stakeholders, fostering trust and engagement. Internet search algorithms favour relevant and timely content, significantly improving a company’s search rankings.
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