Nokia’s IdeasProject on virtual communities and the power of the audience

This device we make in our own image changes everything
Renowned computational biologist and educational innovator James Bower believes the Internet, rather than representing some new stage in human development, has simply caught up with the ways people actually function. The Internet is allowing an old form of learning, he says, and we have to figure out how to get out of the way and allow it to do that.

Related content:

Advertising in virtual communities (podcast)
Jim Bower shares his insights on the evolution of advertising and branding within virtual communities.

Why is Whyville a hit?
Journalist Linda Knapp explains the success Jim Bower’s safe, virtual community for kids.

Audience is now the force behind media
Award-winning journalist Eric Roston talks about the profound shift technology has created by putting the power for organizing media in the hands of the audience rather than the entrepreneurs who previously controlled it. While he believes there are still opportunities for publishers and content purveyors, these manifestations of social media and online journalism also created a new set of demands.

Related content:

The death of the newspaper (Crosscurrents podcast)
Podcast by Zoe Corneli documents some success stories amidst the breakdown of traditional newspaper journalism.

This Modern World (Salon cartoon)
Parodies the beleaguered news industry’s flailing attempts to respond to the barrage of democratized online alternatives.

Newspaper Death Watch
Paul Gillin’s blog tracks developments in the volatile world of journalism, contrasting newspaper closures with the development of their online counterparts.