The Great Seduction Response

1. How does Keen define Democratized media, and what are his main issues with this trend? Use examples from the web in the form of links.

Keen describes democratized media as “the great seduction,” or the empty promise of the democratized media. He says what the “Web 2.0 is really delivering us is superficial observations of the world around us rather than deep analysis, and shrill opinions rather than considered judgments.”  His main issue with this trend is that instead of the world becoming more cultured from having access to music like the Brandenburg Concertos, people were becoming more narcissistic and only seemed interested in becoming self-made.  In other words Keen dislikes democratized media because of the fact that everyone is simultaneously broadcasting themselves, but nobody was listening to anyone else. Here is a good example of this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghs0nNF1YZ4

2. Compare and Contrast Keens take on Social Media with Douglas Rushkoff's. Which one speaks to you and your own experiences and why?

Both Keen and Rushkoff’s views of social media are great examples of the two opposite extremes of the views on “Web 2.0.”  Keen’s view is the negative or the opposing view.  He sees social media as a form of media that is corrupting society. He thinks that social media is making individuals increasingly narcissistic.  Keen dislikes democratized media because of the fact that everyone is simultaneously broadcasting themselves, but nobody was listening to anyone else.  Douglas Rushkoff is a cyber advocate; he wants to help people embrace, understand, enjoy, and generally become less afraid of technology so that future generations can benefit from it.  He believes that the internet is not going to change society but it is going to amplify it, and magnify existing trends.  I agree with Rushkoff’s views of social media; it is a way to enhance our future tenfold if we use it properly.