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.

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

1. Andrew Keen has a very skeptical view on Democratized media. I guess when Keen speaks about Democratized media he is talking about Web 2.0 and many of the different websites and blogs that allow open source media. A simple example of this would be: http://www.wikipedia.org/ and a more complex example of this would be torrent sharing websites like: http://www.vuze.com/. Keen's argument is that with the spread of open source websites the amateur is now the professional. When you think about it, when you get information on the web you may not be reading from the right sources. When you read and believe blogs and other open sources you are getting your information from people just as experienced and knowledgeable as you are. For Keen this is a scary thought. The idea that your everyday Joe is writing our dictionaries and encyclopedias can be threatening. Also Keen talk to us about the damage that the new web has brought onto us. With file sharing and torrenting musicians can no longer make the top buck that they used to by selling CD's or MP3's. Keen likens these sharing sites as a blatant form of stealing. With these sites the professional gets run out of business by the flood of amateur bands, reporters, journalists, and Joes.  Take a look at this band: http://www.thestaticjacks.com/ if you were Keen you would be appalled by this act of "amateurism". Not only are they torrenting and giving away their own music but they are what Keen would say as distorting the professionals of the trade.

2. Keen and Rushkoff would probably get into a fight each other. Keen is hell-bent on the idea that these new social media websites will result in the the death of society itself. Rushkoff on the other hand can see the benefits of the technology that comes with social media sites. If you ask my opinion on the issue I would definitely agree with Rushkoff. The idea that all technology that comes from the new web is counter-productive to the nation is ridiculous. One website that is really counterproductive to Keens argument is Web M.D Community. http://exchanges.webmd.com/default.htm  This is an open forum for those people who are fighting, recovering or experts of diseases. While certainly most of these posters are not professionals no one can doubt the importance or validity of their arguments and opinions. Also this website doesn't steal money from doctors or physicians but instead gives those who want to know more information helpful advice.  No one would take the opinions of this blog over a doctor but the information is helpfull non the less. Websites like these really show off the importance of these new Democratized websites.

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I have commented on two posts: Katie Messina and Kelly Tranfaglia.