This week, I interviewed Michael Galpert, co-founder of Aviary, a website that offers free photo and audio software, and it got me thinking about the role of media in society.
The media has always played an integral role in society as a conveyor of information. Whether we watch the local news, read a blog, or pick up a tabloid while in line at the grocery store, we are influenced by the media around us. The advent of weblogs roughly 13 years ago served as an impetus of information circulation via the internet. The popularity of social media networks like Facebook and Twitter make dissemination of information infinitely easier. Media outlets like Foursquare serve as GPS-like systems to locate your friends. We are definitely embarking on a new direction and further delving into the possibilities of new media.
Everyday, new start-ups and online entities come to fruition and provide a plethora of new services. Part of the momentum for innovation is the move toward a DIY society – a welcome departure from the rampant consumerism that we have been facing in the past several years.
Instead of just “paying someone else to do it,” many consumers are taking on new endeavors. Perhaps, fear of economic future has skewed the consumer behavior, but unlike the possibly fleeting savings rates of Americans, I believe that the DIY shift is a result of the proliferation of new internet media, and it will be here to stay.
No longer is Ikea the sole provider of assembly-required furniture, but extensive assembly of small furniture pieces appears to be the norm. Home improvement stores, like Lowes, emphasize store assistance with building projects. Websites like Adafruit.com allow budding electricians to build a variety of home electronics, and NYC Resistor composes a group of forward-thinking hackers, pushing the limits of technology.
Whether your motives for creative and/or technological projects are sources of entertainment, catharsis, or simply part of cost-cutting efforts, the Internet has organized information on every subject imaginable, making your next project literally just a click away.
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