The Googlization of Everything- Good or Bad for Books?

Recently, I enrolled for a course, Understanding Media by Understanding Google on Coursera andmy first assignment was to put up a write up. less than 350 words, explaining whether the digitization of books is good or bad. This is what I thought: 

The golden age of books “…was slow to take shape, suddenly glorious...”[1] but certainly not over. Perhaps the age of glamorous bookstores and museum-sized commercial libraries – built on rigid capitalist business models – is but, “quickly over”[2]. [What happened was that] the nature of the product expanded.”[3] This paradigm shift, has not just affected news, or newspapers or books. It has affected everything. Digital media explosion is changing the panorama and how we do things.
Thing is, the rules have changed. Today, “customers are in charge”[4]. People are eager to delve in to the new world of advanced technology, and their needs are increasing by the day. Digitizing books by google is good, because this means that a book sat in a New York or Milano Library but relevant for a researcher in Colombo, can now be available for rent or purchase within minutes. Thus, “instead of an economy based on scarcity, today’s is based on abundance”[5].
It is however, bad for Unions (who are said to 'dig holes' in the pocket of authors unnecessarily) and large bookstores – which have initially caused a dry up of local ‘indie’ libraries – as this affects their business models. With advanced technology and the interconnectivity that it affords, “people can find each other anywhere and coalesce around you or against you”[6]. And it is these people whom it has coalesced against, that Eric Thomas was referring to, when he said, “We’ve never been able to see what the Internet adds, we can only see what it subtracts”[7]. “It’s [perhaps then] tragic that the Internet hasn’t destroyed our tendency to paint with such a broad brush”[8].

[1] Warsh, D. "The Golden Age of Newspapers: A Short History," 8/12/2013, http://www.economicprincipals.com/issues/2013.08.12/1528.html

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid.

Stories of the Future

Our world is becoming smaller and ever more disintegrated interdependent; and while so many people have so much in common, never before have the things that divide them been so obvious. Humanity’s question – who are we, remains plausible in an age where flags count, and so do buntings and other symbols of identity, including crosses, crescents, even facial hair and head coverings; because culture counts and cultural identity is what is most meaningful to most people. Stories form a great aspect of culture – shaping business, governance and the world order – and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie reminds us of the power in stories, of how they shape our world, and how they seem to give a definition of what and whom we are, in her TED presentation, “The Danger of a Single Story”.

Digital media revolution has grown exponentially, and it is changing the way we fight wars do business; the media and youth continue to look closely in to organizations’ responsible behaviors; and corporations are harnessing youth innovation for future-proofing their brands. While conventional media had in the past, propagated only a coordinated message about a topic or issue, social media now provides a wide stream of gossips stories regards the same topics or issues, providing a multi-dimensional approach to the panorama. With the sudden explosion of digital media content and access devices, we have also seen the economic potential of social media in its ability to reduce inefficient marketing and middlemen. Because social media enables open conversations, these open, often multilateral conversations are critical for internal and external communication. Thus, we need to (stop and) understand the sphere of our influence as social media users; and as leaders, begin to act as middlemen for positive stories which affects development and humankind’s potential. 

Social media has influenced the way companies do business today, and it is also challenging them on how they would do business tomorrow. Future-proofing brands have moved to the top of the agenda for companies, and they are looking to youth innovation, and current trends exciting youth, to predict growth paths for their brand. They are quite aware of the influence of youth on their products and services, and more than ever before, they are bringing their culture closer to young people. They are asking questions like; how their products or services would be perceived in 5 – 10 years time, and what new experiences people would be looking for in their brands. Young people need to stop worrying about innovation, and concentrate on creativity, as there are worries from wide quarters, that today’s schools kill creativity. The lack of originality in product development, enhancement or innovation, could kill a brand’s vision, than its positioning.

Of the 250 multinational corporations in 2010, only 64% published their CSR reports. This means that in taking decisions and actions that enhance societal welfare, managerial discretions require the capacity to consider constraints, interdependencies and multiple demands of various stakeholders. Whilst, individual characteristics (cognition, identity/integrity, values and emotions) are likely to encourage as well as be encouraged by socially responsible behaviors, virtue and practice are also critical. Companies need to (stop and) resist quick solutions, and wok on long term goals which incorporates host communities in their quest to portray themselves as socially responsible. This way, they allow outsiders the chance to experience their ‘culture’, which is why they are involved in CSR in the first place. 
 

The Reverend Martin Luther King once said, “Human progress never rolls in on wheels of inevitability. It comes through tireless efforts and persistent work… Without this hard work, time itself becomes an ally of the forces of social stagnation.” We are making tomorrow’s stories today – of how youth innovation creativity would be a key resource; how today’s schools are killing that creativity; and why companies need to future-proof their brands, it is paramount that we make the most of these stories.