creators vs audience
10 02 2007I just read an article claiming that all the user-generated-content online was generated only by a small mass of 1 %. The total sphere could be parted in 1% heavy contributors, 9% light contributors and the rest of us is just watching, reading and taking passivly part in the UGC online…
Interesting - but is it really true? And more interesting why? But if this is true Gladwell law of the few will again be a interesting thing to discuss, ’cause who has the power in this unbalanced, democratic web-universe.
Hiya
I think its only 10% because we’re at an early stage - it will grow. Its like 10 years ago when people were saying that only x% of people would EVER have internet access, or x% would only ever have a website, etc. With hindsight it seems obvious that as tech got easier, cheaper and more prevalent we’d all get there. Same in this case I think.
At present you need certain knowledge and skills to ‘publish’, but as awareness spreads, and as tech gets easier, faster, and more ubiquitous more and more people will be doing it. Of course there are those who will never have any DESIRE to publish, but we havn’t reached that threshhold yet.
I wrote on this a few weeks ago in my blog (but I cant find the post now!!! Duh). Keep blogging. D.
I guess it is true, as not everyone is interested in participation just like in the real life. We tend to transfer the “off line rules of the game” into online world, and it’s not exactly changing the balance of power. Besides we still need to learn and get used to the fact that top-down communication isn’t the only possible form as well as embrace the available technologies that allow us to be publishers, producers and so on. It is a longer cultural evolution…or revolution?