The Era of Paramedia

Mitch Radcliffe has posted an essay on Paramedia on his blog.

The new installment of Evolution Media, my podcast, is posted to the podcast feed.

“Paramedia” describes what happens when peers come together in networks with a purpose, something that media consumers, media makers and marketers need to understand and that, for the most part, is such a novel phenomenon that it is simply misunderstood as being very like the media of our childhoods, when messages came in big packages and audiences numbered in the millions.

Let’s begin to explore this idea by looking to the origins of the word. As I said, it’s been used by author Todd Gitlin and the Cult of the Dead Cow, but “paramedia” is also the name of a consultancy and has been used enough that it generates 81,800 hits on Google (as of this writing). I’d like to formalize the term here and now, so that we can use it with a common understanding of its meaning and scope.

So, here is my definition of paramedia for your consideration: Paramedia are networks of people with access to media publishing tools and training that align through self-organizing or by explicit planning to promote and support the discussion of an idea, agenda or problem.

To read the entire script, continue reading. I don't follow it strictly, and urge you to listen, too.

The free Audible file is available here. It will play in iTunes, Windows Media Player and most portable audio devices, and you can pass it around.

Posted by Jock Gill at September 30, 2005 10:10 PM | TrackBack