same as 200 copies of a magazine that conveys the same
message.”
In other words, it is possible to spread a message without getting people to act differently, consume differently or think differently. The latter takes true viral transmission, according to Rushkoff. But what does it take to get to the point where Homo Conexus takes matters into his or her own hands, and starts spreading a message virally? Offhand, it is plain luck, or the “being in the right place at the right time” phenomenon, which come to mind as the answer to that question. But some
conditions must be met in order for Homo Conexus to get in gear for real.
Convenience is of the essence to Homo Conexus. Naturally this also goes when it comes to media. If it isn’t easy, fast and straightforward to share the message, it won’t happen. The
instant gratification induced by sharing cannot be too far away.
Authenticity is another factor. If the razor sharp BS-detectors in Homo Conexus are activated, the network person changes swiftly to another channel or medium that seems more credible. In the pursuit of the expansion of the network there’s no time to waste on messages that only pretend.
In the same way it is important to give the user some social currency. If that isn’t present, then what is it the user is supposed to convey? It must be something tangible which is to be shared, whether it is a physical object, a link to a video or an MP3-file. Or else the communication of sharing makes no sense.
Which media live up to this? It may be that the conventional newspapers are experiencing trouble but their following on the web has never been greater – and hence the challenge is to make money from the internet. Nevertheless, it’s a fact that web based newspapers are incredibly popular. It’s easy to conclude that the newspapers have more users coming in than they have users leaving. Or to put it in another way: The newspapers are now in touch with people they never would have been connected to otherwise (on paper).
This is partly due to the big newspapers being very good at making room for people to leave comments, and making it convenient to pass a news story on to others. Through services such as Digg and del.icio.us, through Twitter, Facebook wall posts and “send to a friend” functions, or by showing the web address so that it can be copied and passed on. News is fairly easily transformed into social currency. It is obvious that it is more convenient to use a news site than a conventional newspaper. You don’t have to go to the corner shop or the mailbox to get it, you don’t have to pay for it, and you don’t need to bother discarding it afterwards. It’s searchable, it can have video and sound, and yesterday’s and last year’s news is archived on the page directly. And then there’s the honesty. No system is likely to be more under pressure of authenticity than the journalistic system.
If some content on a news site isn’t authentic, then competitors, politicians, user services or the users themselves will see to spread the word about it. Monetizing this, however, is another challenge altogether and a subject that could (and should) fill up a book all by itself. That Homo Conexus would stop watching TV in favor of the internet is also a myth that has been gaining ground in recent years. And it is possible to demonstrate that slightly more time is spent on the internet than in front of the TV. But what most surveys fail to take into consideration is Homo Conexus’s built-in need for media multi-tasking. It isn’t a question of either internet or TV – it’s both at the same time, as we have previously discussed. The TV isn’t getting turned off just because Homo Conexus is online with the laptop while sending text messages to the network.
A lot of people believe that the success of Apple’s iPad is due to its E-Reader capabilities. And that the success of the diminutive laptops known as netbooks is due to a low price point. I believe both of them are successful because they are great for browsing the web while watching television. TV is also a convenient medium. Everybody has (at least!) one; it’s just a matter of turning it on, then you can reach out for the kind of entertainment or stream of information you would like. And if you’re wondering if TV has viral potential, just go check out any viral video chart. Everything that isn’t music videos, film trailers or user videos is taken from TV.
What about radio and free newspapers? Free newspapers are good social currency (they can be taken along and given to others), and convenient media (they're available for pickup most places you travel in the urban landscape and you can throw them away again when you reach your destination) – and although the journalistic level is lower than in the paid-for newspapers, they are subject to the same code of credibility . Radio is incredibly convenient because it is possible to do many other things while listening to the radio, whether it’s cleaning, dishes, homework, book keeping or whatever else one has going on. Radio is convenient in relation to multi-tasking, but it is hard to make it very viral – unless it is a web radio station, something which is gaining ground – even on cell phones. So Homo
Conexus also listens to the radio. And the reason that most of them still listen to analog radio is that it is the most convenient. When web radio becomes just as convenient, it will be time to shut down the analog frequencies.