New Age

The Internet has not only changed the way we research, but the way we receive messages entirely. It has created a whole other dimension where people can share their thoughts and opinions with absolutely no credibility at all. Even your ninty-six year old grandmother can sit in her basement and write a blog about rocket science and how to build a rocket to the moon and have absolutely no idea what she is talking about. Of course there will be many followers of her post some negative and some positive. She could even convince people that she is a Doctor and has many degrees when she doesn’t? This is what the Internet has allowed us to do.

It has also helped ruin many industries that were sound twenty years ago. Shirky mentions how the newspaper industry has been shaken by the invention of the Internet. I feel that this is mostly because no one really understood what the Internet was capable of doing. Another main industry that has been shaken to its core is the music and movie industry. The music industry made the majority of its money off album sales and touring. Not only can you share your opinions on the Internet but you can also share other things such as music. Just like the professionals working on printing newspapers have fallen to the level of the inexperienced blogger. The musician has fallen to the likes of youtube and myspace stars that have busted out onto the scene.

Even many writers used to claim that the biggest mistake within the music industry was the man who did not sign the Beatles fearing that they were talentless. In recent history many historians believe the biggest mistake by the music industry was the fact they did not grasp onto the power of the Internet at an early stage. It makes more sense than anything.