Tim Malbon

24 Jan 2008

Participatory media before the Web

Today I heard someone say that before the Web all communication was one-way, top down: from media producer to passive audience. I know what he meant but it prompted me to start a list of pre-Web forms of conversational folk-media. Please let me know if you can think of other examples and I’ll add them to the list.

So, to kick off:

• Graffiti
• Speaker’s corner in Hyde Park
• Telephone phone-ins and talk radio
• The Soap-Opera Press
• Letters to the Editor
• The Jeremy Beadle platform
• Citizen’s Band radio
• Public noticeboards

Tags: media, sharing, ugc

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9 comments so far

1. Matthew Kershaw 24 Jan 2008

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   The pub!

2. Adam Arnold 24 Jan 2008

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   Collages … And those massive quilts where people stich together their individual panels.

3. James Higgs 24 Jan 2008

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   Open mic comedy clubs?

4. Tim Malbon 24 Jan 2008

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   Mix tapes

5. Tim Malbon 24 Jan 2008

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   Karaoke

6. Doc 24 Jan 2008

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   Tim … CB Radio (breaker breaker rubber ducky) like it. I actually know someone who still does that.

   What about HAM Radio and a message in a bottle

7. Stephen Pirrie 24 Jan 2008

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   Ticker tapes.

8. Stuart Eccles 24 Jan 2008

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   There is a great story of how after telephone was invented, copyright holders were suing Ma bell over people repeating copyright material over the telephone.

   A pre-web analogy to viacom and YouTube?

9. Tim 24 Jan 2008

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   Err yeah dude - but like, what about just giving us the link??