Taking a look back at the ideas you explored a decade ago is a
productive and admirable undertaking. Still, I think you're missing
some of the most significant impacts the information age has brought
with it. You alluded to the linear model of mass communication -- from
"producer" to "consumer" -- and your concern for the vulnerability of
the information and communication consumer. What you left out is that
these roles are no longer relevant, at least not in the traditional
sense. The lines between producer and consumer have been blurred,
nearly beyond recognition, over the past several years, thanks in large
part to the interactivity of information and communication
technologies. The productive capacity that users enjoy now was
admittedly not present when you wrote your book, but it certainly is
today. This ability has empowered former "consumers" and has helped to
create the content-rich, journalistic environment you praise.
Concerns
undoubtedly remain as to where these technologies are headed, but it is
also important to consider our role in steering that course and how
active we have become -- users and producers instead of consumers.
