Close, But No Cigar

As we’ve seen, the Web means that anyone with access and knowledge can publish content. The Web also allows people to use written content, sound, video, animations, and images with much more ease than in other types of media. This has lead to an explosion of creative content online. For many in the industry, this explosion has lead some to question the staying power of the more traditional outlets like publishing houses, magazines, film, and television. I believe this content explosion will affect these traditional outlets in a negative fashion, turning attention away from these aspects of media and onto the Internet.
Despite affecting traditional media outlets negatively, I believe that the Internet will only make a small impact in this realm. What dictates the staying power of media content or technology is its transmission to the public as well as monetary factors. For film, there are only a few major studios controlling nearly all production and distribution of content. So, there are millions and millions of dollars spent on films through marketing, advertising, pre- and post-production fees, talent expenses, etc. The simple fact that the movie industry, along with television, is a multi-billion dollar industry makes it nearly impervious to degradation or loss.
In the case of magazines and publishing houses, I am hoping that these print outlets stay afloat in coming years since my career depends on them. My goal is to write scholarly works or write for a magazine on music, current events, religion, philosophy, writing, or anything that will pay the bills. The Internet seems to be a worthy foe for these print outlets, seeing as readership has plummeted and people are turning their attention to the cheaper, faster, and crazier Internet media explosion in order to get their fix of news, sports, comedy, and the like. Most of those producing the buzz-worthy content for the Internet are seemingly normal people with a bigger Best Buy bill than others. These amateurs will never topple the major media outlets, but can distract attention, pull in menial profit, or make a name for themselves as competent in production, film, recording, animation, music, etc. Most of the content being produced is sub par in terms of technique, technicality, and technology, but there are a few bright-shining examples from people we will surely hear from in the future.
The Internet has already shown us that it can tango with the fat cats of the media industry, as seen through the case of Napster. Since Napster's inception, court-ordered destruction, and then its miraculous shift to commercialism, record sales have steadily declined because of the Internet and its liberal policy on music. Besides the issue of music, I think that the only media outlets that should 'worry,' if at all, are the magazines and the publishing houses. Newspapers are becoming less and less prevalent in today's society, and magazines may be condensed the same way newspapers have. If this shift toward technology, speed and thriftiness continues, publishing houses may need to make use of Internet capabilities for a new generation of media users, seeking instant gratification and hilarity, which only the Internet can provide.
The beauty of the written and spoken word in all realms of life has now been replaced with a spirit of impatience, bordering on disillusion and discontent; a shift toward instant gratification and a ridiculously wide range of available media, in any format imaginable, may see the Internet getting stronger and stronger in the coming years.

There is, however, one issue I must raise before concluding. Though my arguments on the subject may be convoluted and repetitious at times, one counter statement must be assessed to gain full knowledge of the issue. The battle for Net Neutrality, a bill that attempts to limit broadband bandwidth usage, had been heeding much attention in Congress before their adjournment. The bill effectively seeks to make bandwidth and bit rates part of Internet service charges. Just as everything that one sees on television is paid for in some way or other, Net Neutrality opponents wish to do the same thing with the Internet, making anything downloadable or streaming, anything that requires a large amount of information to be exchanged between terminals an expense. ISP bills would, in theory, increase and all our activity of the Web would be tracked. If you like the Internet the way it is now, then oppose these bills and seek an end to these attempts by media conglomerates to make the Internet a brothel for more advertisers and scheming marketers.
Fight back here-->
http://www.netcompetition.org/
http://www.itsournet.org/