The Brand, The New Media and The Future, Pt Deux

If reputation is all we have, how does that relate to the creative destruction occurring in the mass media?

People want to believe in things bigger than themselves. Society is based upon this. Perhaps more than opposable , it separates us from the beasts.

From serfs working for the king to followers to religions, society needs mass forms of belief structure. The difference today is those structures are almost more easy to achieve in a virtual than a physical association. Our media is delivered by means that not only make it simple, they tend to encourage association.

The traditional newspaper, created by editors and writers who were disciples of the cult of objectivity, or the legacy broadcast entity, tempered by the offices of standards and practices, the FCC and the perceived threat of "fairness doctrine," brought the media consumer a product that was reasonably inclusive of a range of points of view in the middle of the road.

The interconnection of supportive opinion, blogs, materials and message boards carries the reader not into a broader view, but rather into an ever tightening spiral toward self-affirming thought. What does suffice for points of view become more like opposite camps, hurling invective at each other with giant virtual trebuchets. Call it the Crossfiring of America.

Here's where the story gets dark. Manipulation is inherent in the human system. From society enforcing its standards of decency to evil-doers seeking to work to their own ends, followers will be urged to drink the kool-aid. And, they will, particularly as long as they are motivated to believe. When there is no challenge to the mindset, when there is no equal and opposite force, it will continue.

Such is the case when the media challenges an institution that has its faith and trust in tact with its base. Only when the faith and trust -- the brand -- is injured, will the opposite opinion to the believe of those inside the citadel break. For those in the local area, I'll point at the unusual case of one of our smaller universities where the administrator was hailed as the next coming in academic leadership. A handful of wrong moves, the sweater snags on the nail, and in what seemed like an instant, the emperor not only had no clothes, he had no job.

What happens when there isn't the counter balance of the media to ask the question?