There's no need (and indeed it is increasingly difficult) for a creator -- author, musician -- to become a celebrity to the masses, he says. (Read his essay). Unless they are anointed by network television or some other mass medium, many people with good products can never get the attention they deserve, because attention in our society is in such short supply. We all know that some of the products from big corporate media publishers that command our attention aren't worth the time or money we spent on them.
In contrast, anyone who has a thousand or more "friends" or acquaintances/connections on Facebook or MySpace -- people who share a bond or ideas or common interests -- has a far better chance of getting attention for their product, book, CD or art at least among that 1,000 people than those who aren't on Facebook or MySpace and who are under the illusion that traditional intermediaries -- book publishers, music companies, art dealers -- are going to invest much time and money in marketing their work.
We'd rather trust the recommendations of our friends rather than traditional advertising, marketing, media hype. That's where social networking comes in. Facebook and MySpace may play an increasingly important role in the books, music and art that we purchase.
Drill Deeper:
