Mark Evans

Do You Do the Google?

What is it with all the “seasoned” people and the Internet? Larry King has never “done” the Internet, President George Bush has used “the Google” and Senator Ted Stevens, who believes the Internet is “a series of tubes”. Obviously, I'm taking a tongue in cheek approach given what these three gentlemen have in common is they are more than 50-years-old and far from Web savvy. That said, this is the reality for many senior executives in the media industry (music, movies, newspapers, television, radio) who are trying to make strategic decisions to deal with the Internet's growing influence. How can someone make an intelligent move or understand what smart underlings are telling them if they don't have an intimate understanding of the Internet and/or use it regularly? It's like getting into a car and hoping you can make your way home along the super-highway if you've never seen a car before or taken lessons. You could make a good case there's a serious leadership void when it comes to the media and the Internet because the people in charge are ill-equiped to act effectively. Now, you know why the music industry has been flailing for years while hoping to use a traditional tool - lawsuits - to blunt the Internet's affect on business. For more insight on this fascinating issue, check out On Disruption, which always offer excellent insight, and Deep Jive Interests, who talks about how offering free television programming on the Web is driving people back to TV programs.