TechMediaTalk

The convergence of digital media and social media?

Posted on | March 31, 2009

Image representing Facebook as depicted in Cru...

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Since Facebook’s recent announcement for increased support of video, I couldn’t help noting an observation I had at the Digital Hollywood Media Summit I attended in NYC a couple of weeks ago and wrote about in a previous post.   While at the conference listening to various panelists discussing digital media topics, it occurred to me that they could have just as well been talking about social media.

For example, at a panel discussing ‘The Television Ecosystem’, Landel Hobbs, COO of Time Warner Cable, stated that Interactivity was key in digital media.  Voting using the remote was 10x more prevalent than using cell phones (ala American Idol).  He further stated that in digital media programmers need to give control to the audiences for what they want.

Rebecca Glashow, SVP Digital Media Distribution for Discovery Channel, commented that (it is important to realize that) the level of engagement offered is different for different platforms.  Roger Keating SVP of Hearst-Argyle Television, suggested that television 2.0 was about inviting users into discussion, learn about their needs and serve them better with this information.  The old days of scripted shows washing over audiences were passing.

Similarly at another panel discussing ‘Global Media and Advertising’, Eileen Campbell, CEO, Millward Brown Group discussed that brands need to become active listeners and develop an active response and add value to that conversation.  The future of advertising is based on focusing on the message and ideas as opposed to the platform, and finding ways to move with fluidity between platforms.

While social media nomenclature was not in use in these discussions on digital media, the general themes and concepts being discussed around the uses and benefits of digital media sure sounded a lot like conversations around social media circles to me.

Thisis a brief post, and frankly, only a thought nugget at this point.  As a profilic member of the digital media community and a newbie at social media, I can’t help but think this convergence will create some interesting new dynamics.  For example, would Facebook take the mantle as an important video platform and would YouTube (which I think is already an important social medium – topic for another day) serve as a community platform using its tremendous reach and attachment to create communities?

What do you think?  Start a discussion below.

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Category: Commentary, Social Media

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