Debate among the members of the panel at the launch of the latest edition of Aspenia got underway with the observation that the internet has revolutionized the media and society, and has changed and will continue to change the political process. Democracy will – it was suggested – need to reinvent itself in the coming decades due to the internet: social networks have entered the democratic – and not so democratic – political game, making relations between the political system and communications media very different from the days of the absolute dominance of television and the print media.
The launch event for issue 54 of Aspenia, held in collaboration with Enel and Rai, saw these and other issues on the discussion agenda, with the panelists tracing the major changes that have enveloped the media and its relationship with the political system and economic reality. It was noted that, today, through the internet and the ICT revolutions, anyone can become a content creator: it is thanks to images captured on cellphones that the world has come to know of the revolt in Iran and the destruction wreaked on Gaddafi’s body, just as social media acted as a cohesive force in the uprisings of the Arab spring.
As highlighted by the issue of Aspenia being presented, this is “the age of Steve Jobs”, Apple’s brilliant innovator who recently passed away. In an interview aired during the debate, the President of The Aspen Institute Walter Isaacson, the sole official biographer of Jobs, recalled that his creativity was not just confined to his inspired technological insights, but also extended to a specific aesthetic vision that enabled the Cupertino-based company not only to manufacture hi-tech products, but to present them in an aesthetically pleasing package, which in Jobs’ vision became not just a matter of form but one of substance. According to Isaacson, the internet era has helped democracy, as demonstrated by the achievements of the Arab uprisings. It was conceded, however, that the revolution casts doubts on the entire communications media system: indeed, American newspapers are losing readership and some have closed down.
The panelists thus questioned whether these developments have spelt the end of journalism as spawned by Gutenberg’s printing press, and whether it is now the hour of those born in the digital age. “Not exactly” was the response of many of the speakers: traditional journalism will survive, both in print form and on television. It will, however, have to adapt to new technologies and new parameters. The new breed of American journalists now hone their skills on the internet, starting their careers working with online newspapers. Many American newspapers have had to shut down, and whilst it was acknowledged that the big guns such as The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal experienced great difficulties between 2008-2010, they are now re-emerging from the crisis after having optimized their online products, which are now starting to be offered on a pay-per-read basis. It was suggested that this, as many have argued, is because quality online news must be paid for, even though this news publishing model still struggles to gain acceptance online, a platform conceived as free by nature. It was stressed, however, that this is the way of the future: in order for it to be sustainable, internet-age journalism must be of quality and fee-based, for although it is true that the internet is now “first with the news”, the wealth of professional know-how of the “old media” must not be lost. Indeed, the latter – as observed by CNN’s political analysis guru Bill Schneider, in an interview played during the debate – still fairly much retains the duty of interpreting the news and providing an in-depth analysis of it in order to ensure – in addition to its traditional role as a “watchdog” of power – that the public is not in danger of confusing gossip or false speculation with news.
Finally, it was remarked that the internet era has impacted on two other key aspects of the economy and society, namely: the relationship with privacy and the evolution of corporate communications and marketing. The post-mass media and social-networking age has become an era of “conversation”, where revealed private details become public and are compared with the private details of others. It is not quite an invasion of privacy, but it certainly gives rise to complex scenarios for the law to handle. For their part, businesses are using social networks to test the effectiveness of their products, which can, however, also come under fire, thus meaning firms must learn to deal with consumer approval and disapproval. It was noted that the same is true for the political system, both today and in the future. Paraphrasing a famous movie of years gone by, hailed as an iconic representation of the power of the media, the discussion came to a close with a quote viewed as possibly providing a fitting conclusion to the debate, namely: “It’s the internet, baby … and there’s nothing you can do about it.”
