Proof of concept?

Blogger Momus writes of his blogging success...and how it has lead to unexpected career opportunities and unlikely personal success (although not, unfortunately, for his record biz...or is that the real reason behind his posting on Wired? Hm. One wonders).

ANYway, the experience(s) he describes would be no surprise to Mr. Michael Goldhaber who has been talking of what he calls "The Attention Economy" for some time. As Michael explains,

If the Web and the Net can be viewed as spaces in which we will increasingly live our lives, the economic laws we will live under have to be natural to this new space. These laws turn out to be quite different from what the old economics teaches, or what rubrics such as "the information age" suggest. What counts most is what is most scarce now, namely attention. The attention economy brings with it its own kind of wealth, its own class divisions - stars vs. fans - and its own forms of property, all of which make it incompatible with the industrial-money-market based economy it bids fair to replace. Success will come to those who best accommodate to this new reality.

I think there are still a lot of folks struggling to connect the dots and figure out just HOW all of that attention can be turned into something other than...well, attention. Momus, in the article above gives us a little bit of his perspective:

As my blog's readership grew, my life began to change. Magazine editors commissioned me to write paid pieces, based on what they'd read online. I found myself being asked to pitch book ideas. I got invited onto radio shows to discuss the blogging phenomenon with other "celebrity bloggers."

He also questions whether blogging is "really democratizing commentary" and seems torn on the idea. I would say that blogging is 'meritocratizing commentary.'

Much like Tom Friedman noted in "The World is Flat" (and again in this article), the odds of individual success are tied much more tightly to individual ability than to one's location. Just writing a blog does not guarantee success...but writing a GOOD blog brings one much more attention...and many more opportunities for income streams than would have previously been possible. The blogosphere has opened the door to many more talented writers and idealogues - a good thing. It will not, however, give everyone an 'equal voice.' Why? Because people's voices AREN'T equal. Some are better able to develop, define, and deliver their ideas than others. The blogosphere simply gives us access to more of those talented folks (along with a host of...well, "less talented" folks...you know, like me). But I understand my lot in life and don't bemoan the fact that "Hey, I blog! Why aren't *I* getting rich and famous?" I just appreciate the fact more talent - from more perspectives and more backgrounds is now working to advance the human condition. That's good, right...?

Tags:

Blogging
Attention Economy