http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/nov/01/bbc-digital-blog-interactive-media
Public learns to handle new digital weapon"It's your BBC," the slogan used to run, imploring the audience to engage with the broadcaster. After five years of encouraging viewers and listeners to "have your say", "press the red button" and "leave a comment on our blog", *the BBC this week found itself on the wrong end of what might be termed "interactivism". * More than 37,000 complaints about the infamous Russell Brand radio show led to resignations, inquiries, apologies and a few more cracks in the facade of Broadcasting House. *Interactivism is changing the terms of engagement for media organisations, politicians, companies and individuals.* It may seem absurdly inappropriate to compare the significance of the US elections next week with the trivia of Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand mucking around on the radio, but both share this common thread. Barack Obama may soon become the first politician to be carried to power by interactivism, in terms of funding and campaigning. With half of his $500m (£303m) campaign fund coming from donations of less than $200 through internet fundraising, the Obama campaign has harnessed electronic media to devastating effect, and melded the idea of grassroots activism with instant feedback and visible networks. If Obama has successfully harnessed the power of interactivism, Radio 2 is reeling from its impact. When Brand's show first aired, two people complained. After a week, thanks to the huffing and puffing of the Daily Mail, the Sun - and the BBC's own echo chamber of 24-hour news - complaints had rocketed to more than 37,000. By complaining to the BBC and Ofcom, the public could join in a story. An odd and perhaps not very useful argument for public engagement but indisputably powerful. Message boards, Facebook groups and phone-ins were deluged with protest over a wide range of issues; not least subjective dislike for either Brand or Ross or both. It was unclear how many had heard the shows or extracts - it didn't matter. Complaint becomes a participation sport in a digital world, where totals are electronically tallied and regularly updated. Most importantly, by participating, the public expects to influence the outcome of events. *Just as television companies have built new audiences and revenues on encouraging us to vote on anything and everything, so they are now at risk of being undone by failing to understand the implications of interactivity which is not under their control.* This is where the Obama campaign is also instructive. The viral messages, email campaigns and rapid rebuttal which take on attacks at lightning speed are as much a part of team Obama's extraordinary success as the fundraising. *Technology is amoral and the connectivity which helps a civil rights movement can equally be the platform for a lynch mob. There is no implicit democracy in interactivism - the most organised and connected, the most vociferous and offended can tip the balance.* *Online response is instant, and often lightly committed and should sometimes be treated as such. Perhaps next time the viral activism will be directed against corruption in politics or against social injustice.* --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth?hl=en-GB -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
