Mass Media Revolution Is Over

Technology forecaster and Stanford Engineering Professsor Paul Saffo is one of those awe-inspiring people who seems to be an expert on everything, and is really likeable. Yesterday, he asked our class who had been to Second Life; two people raised their hands. Then he asked who had a Kindle and one lone dude raised his hand. (These are publishing professionals from all over the world, and only one has a Kindle?!) I have to say, I appreciate it that he chastised us, "You guys have GOT to get out more."


So, here's what guides Paul Saffo:

1. Embrace the things that don’t fit.
2. Look back twice as far as you look forward.
3. Know when not to make a forecast.

Among many other things, Saffo asserted that the mass media revolution is over--that there's a shift from mass media to personal media. So what does that actually mean? In the music arena, people love music, they love individual songs, but they don’t care as much about albums anymore. In the magazine world, people love the brand, love articles, but they don’t care about the issues. What does this mean for our books? Could we be selling individual chapters? Make your own calendars? Make your own stationery? Individualized cookbooks?

Also, look for reversals! With technology comes a new relationship between editors and readers. In Everywhere magazine, for example, you can submit travel pictures and join peer review groups to create future editions.

So, after the talk, when I talked to Saffo about what comes next for Chronicle, he said, "You know those bumper stickers that say "Keep Santa Cruz Weird?" . . . Well, I think of Chronicle as an archipelago of weird things with quirky little islands coming off of it." It's a compliment. A weird one, but a compliment.