Call me impermanent

The web is by definition impermanent. Everything on the web is always moving, evolving. Everything appaears as quickly as it disappears. Changes are going faster and faster and our brain has to follow this infernal rythm.

The problem is that there are too many changes that we are no longer conscious of the progress maid. Everything seems normal for us today. Communicate with people all over the world, exchange information, pictures, videos. On the web everything is passing, nothing remains. The only characteristic that remains is precisely change and alteration but also the fact that the future of the web is unpredictable. We cannot imagine what are going new evolutions and new technologies. Maybe it is what confers to the internet this magical and supernatural aspect.

Internet : new field for precious opportunities ?

It is impossible to denied the fact that Internet is the only media where you can do everything you want. You can become famous thanks to your songs, to your acrobatics on a video or to you points of view on a blog. What is amazing is that Internet concentrate so many possibilities that it widens your perspectives. There is no longer limits, constraints due to money, time or whatever. Now, in a simple click you can build you a new personnality, a new life.

Thus internet is a precious opportunity for people like you and me but also for institutions or associations that can communicate all over the world with less money. As an example we can talk about the case of the French Ministry of Foreign office. It is the only ministry present on Twitter, Facebook, Delicious and many others social networking websites. Internet enables the French ministry to adopt a new strategy and to become closer and closer with citizens all around the world.

In a certain way, the use of internet is a new opportunity to express freedom (for people who have a total acess to the web...) and to develop some talents. In fact, creativity has never been so important than during the last few years. That is why I believe that now it is the Internet who is the "fourth power" and no longer the press.

Another time, just for fun and because the subject with the word "precious" remind me this song, let's listen to Depeche Mode :

The invisible man - Transparency on the web

Transparency is usually understood as a way to be yourself on the net and that you cannot hide yourself behind some artificial characteristics. Transparency is also a political notion : politicians have to be always concentrated, to be on the alert because “Big brother” – medias - is always watching them. But I’m going to take that notion on the other side. To my mind, transparency is just an illusion. Transparency on the net does not exist on the common sense for the simple reason that Internet enables us to build many different personalities. On the net you are you, but also mister X and mister W or even mister Z.

Me and the others

Whereas everybody believe that on the net it is easier to meet people and to know who they are, I strongly believe that the person who is behind his screen is many people at the same time, that internet distort personality and that your are transparent in the sense that nobody “encircle” you. It is the same thing with politicians : on the net many videos about their speeches or their visits are posted. Nevertheless, these videos are incomplete. It is only extracts most of the time and as we know, sentences without a context do not mean anything. How many politicians, musicians have been trapped like that ?

On the net you are transparent, naked and it is the others who give you colours, clothes and characteristics. Your personality is built by the internet users. You cannot control your evolution, you are totally dependant of the vision of the others, you are always under construction.

All you need is...breaking your habit

On the web it is essential to keep in mind that everything is on movement. Your landmarks are short-lived because there are always new technologies, new gadgets, new websites that are invented and created.
When you read your newspaper you are expecting some frames that are more or less always the same. Thus you never feel lost when you are in front of a newspaper even if there are sometimes small changes.

Nevertheless, on the web it is all the contrary. Common frames and landmarks don't exist. Look at websites like Facebook or Twitter and more generally to the famous "web 2.0". Nobody was able to imagine these kind of websites 10 years ago.
It is the same with newspaper websites. They are always changing the layout and they propose frequently some new gagdets. For example Liberation or Le Figaro change generally their layout each year. Internet user can feel lost in front of this abundance of innovation and of movement.
New generations are used to this kind of impermanence, of constant evolution and they know that they have to break their habits but for older generation it is not so easy.
In this way, can we say that there is a barier of age on the web ?

Besides, just for fun you can listen to Linkin Park's famous song :

Linkin Park- Breaking The Habit

Angel or devil ? - The impact of the internet on music and musicians

I believe I’m not making a mistake in saying that we have never talked about this much than during the last few months even the last few years. Artists, politicians, citizens everybody has an opinion on the subject… Why ? Because this new century has given birth to a real revolution in the music industry. Internet has been accused being responsible for the music crisis. Yes, it’s right the hegemony of CD is going from strength to strength (it’s so expensive…) but the Internet has to be seen as a real opportunity to develop the influence of music.

I’m not going to talk about the political aspect of the subject and about the infamous Hadopi law because everything has been said about it and because (I’m not going to lie) I’m not really interested in the debate (sorry for my numerous friends who are musicians, …). I prefer to focus on an aspect that really strikes me : the change of temporality and also the change of the musicians’ status.

David against Goliath ?

Before the emergence of the Internet it was really hard to become famous thanks to music. The music system was really hard and to be introduced to it was a miracle. But with online music, everyone is now able to make his music accessible. Websites like Dailymotion, youtube, myspace or my major company are new vectors for musicians. Paradoxically, if it is easier to become famous on the net and if there is more room to make its music famous, the number of musicians on the web have also created a kind of confusion. The abundance of musicians makes things blurry and internet users have less of a chance to see your videos or podcasts.

Nevertheless, what really strikes me is the inversion of the balance of power. Before musicians were weak and they were crying at manager’s doors just to be listened to. Now managers and producers are going on the Internet in order to find the new gold nugget. In France, it was the case with Sliimy who remixed of one of Britney Spears’ song, Womanizer, and record company offered him a contract. Now musicians can highlight their talent on the net and record companys come to them instead of the other way round. But in this inversion of power, the new element is the internet user. It is him who gives weight and arguments to musicians to become famous. More you are viewed on the web, more you have the chance of being famous. Thus it is not only the way to listen to music that has changed but also the way that musicians are considered. Now they are short-lived with the web. Look at Kamini, a French singer who became famous with his song “Marly Gaumont”

Kamini - Marly Gomont

He wrote two more songs and then he disappeared. This new status is also a consequence of the abundance of artists that we have seen upside.

A marketing revolution

This new competition with the web make « traditionnal » musicians, the one who didn’t use the Internet to build their success, in a predicament and now they have to innovate. In fact, because people listening to music on the Internet more and more, how can they seduce the public and convince them to buy their Cds? The only thing to do is to change their marketing strategy and it is what they have done for some of them. Let’s take the example of Radiohead who, in 2007, launched their new album “In Rainbows” only on the Net. You were able to download it on their website and there was no price indicated : internet users paid the price they wanted. Another example are the Nine inch nails. In 2008, they launched their album “Ghost I-IV”. For this album they had a completely different strategy and thats whats made it original. They offered a wide variety of formats: downloading, a version double CD and a luxurious casket (300 dollars) in limited series (2500 copies). With those two examples we can easily understand that the Internet has changed the way that “traditional” groups have to cope with the new competition. Musicians on the web are powerful and the famous “buzz” can often overshadow other artists.

In fact, the Internet is not the devil that some people want to see. Music has changed with the Internet. But the Internet has opened a new field of opportunities and it has also permited to change the status of the principals actors in the world of music which is particular. Don’t be afraid of the power of the Internet, don’t try to control him because it is stronger than any other media, just let it thrive.