I just wanted to say that the response from Anonymous to my post on their movement has been fantastic. Their ability to address the criticism contianed in the article and respond positively to it gives their movement credibility and I believe – strength. I wish them the very best for their day of protest on the 10th of Feb – and urge all to join in on the legitimate peaceful protests.
What should we make of this war on Scientology being conducted by the enigmatic internet group – Anonymous? (I hesitate to label them as anything beyond a ‘group’ since they themselves seem to try to resist various kinds of labels (such as hackers)) For those who don’t know, this group has popped up [...]
Dmitry Davidov is an internet marketer and adsense guru (although he probably doesn’t agree with that label) that has achieved the dream of self-sufficiency by making money on the internet. In this interview I ask him about the means by which he has achieved his success and the kind of lifestyle this affords him. We also explore in depth some of the philosophic and ethical issues that concern the science of marketing. This is a must read for anyone looking to earn a living on the internet. As anyone who reads this blog might know, I don’t see eye to eye with Dmitry on many things (which makes for a great interview), but his answers are thoughtful, well considered, and insightful. My thanks to Dmitry for the time taken to give me this interview.
A while back I wrote about the brave new revenue sharing world that is fast approaching. I argued that in order to infiltrate word of mouth distribution channels, companies would begin to share revenue with their services. I predicted that the result would be the total commodification of our social lives and I painted nightmare scenarios where we were paid to influence our friends, colleagues and loved ones for the sake of a share in the profit. I want now to explore the possible effects of this change on our day to day lives. To what extent will our private, social lives become an extension of a capitalistic process that begins with a marketing decision made by the board members of a corporation, or the political advisors to a demagogue? To what extent was this always the case? And what would be the danger to society were this to become the case? Might we lose something vital that protects society – that allows it to adapt in response to change?
In my previous post on this subject, I claimed that the revenue sharing model would provide an income stream to the general public that has never previously been accessible before. The central idea behind this claim was that many common activities on the internet, such as posting links, and embedding videos, serve as distribution points for content. As this process replaces (at least in part) the traditional role of distribution, it provides real value to those that produce the content. Hence, there exists a natural rationale for the content producers to provide a monetary reward for this act of distribution. In this post, I want to examine some of the possible effects the involvement of the general public in this kind of process may have. While the benefits of this revolutionary change will be enormous, the potential cost will probably be just as profound. The language of the debate elevates quickly into that of hyperbole – where some are quick to claim that the very thing at stake is the human soul itself. What it certainly does point to is the very conflicted relationship we all have as individuals to the capitalistic system that determines the substances of our lives. The thesis I propose is this: that for the first time in the history of capitalism people will have the choice to either opt in, or out of one of the fundamental processes that drives it – resolving the conflict one way or the other for that individual. We will see how this will come about in the sections below.
We are on the precipice of a revolution – though it’s something of which we are scarcely aware. Part of our ignorance stems from its obscure potential, but revenue sharing will be something that will come to dominate the very minutiae of our lives -whether we like it or not. The idea, in a nutshell, is that all parties involved in shuffling traffic around this grand internet highway of ours will be given a cut in the revenue. At first glance this doesn’t seem like much of a big deal – but it will be the catalyst for massive social change. It will be the enabling condition for millions of ordinary people who suddenly gain access to an income stream that never existed before. But it will also be the cause of great social alienation – the likes of which we’ve never seen before. The question then, is how will we deal with it once it comes? How can we make the most of it as an opportunity – without selling our souls in the process? This will be the first in a two part post that examines first the nature of the revolution, and secondly the potential impact this will have on us as a society.
It will be a brave new revenue sharing world
For a bit of fun I decided to try out the new Lord of the Rings Online game yesterday – since they were giving away beta licenses for free.? It’s one of those massive multiplayer games in the vein of World of Warcraft – I wanted to see what it’s all about.? What [...]