Sean McLaughlin   01/27/2011

You might have noticed some shifts in the way that people communicate and share information. So what are you going to do about it? Here are a few observations and some suggestions.

* Analog to Digital

Older folks continue to use legacy media to meet personal needs -- from handwritten letters and interactive voice phone calls to over-the-air television and radio. Many of us cling to the old school analog of written word literacy, including newspapers, magazines and books that are still printed as 'hard' copies.

By far the most popular (and still growing) medium on the planet is TV with cumulative viewing projected to reach 4.5 trillion hours in 2011.

But the next generation is already digital, mobile and on demand -- more likely to text message, file share or interact via media-rich “social networks” that include images, sounds and video. Cameras, microphones, keyboards and screens are everywhere connected with broadband communication networks.

The new media ecosystems potentially include digital content from every consumer, with meta-data organizing crowd sourced conversations. It is a brave new networked world, where venerable old media built on the foundations of “civilization” eventually give way to viral new media in the cloud.

As information evolves from analog to digital forms, keeping current and staying informed are very different experiences from one generation to the next. Those with access and he means are adopting digital media, while those without resources struggle to keep up. Everyone wants broadband connectivity. The dynamic gap between the information “haves” and “have-nots” is known as the “digital divide” and reflects a widening tear in our social fabric.

We are living through a radical communications evolution where the means by which we inform and sustain our collective selves are rapidly changing. So what can we do?

* By Any Media Necessary

Be informed. Get involved.

An excellent resource to learn about these issues is “Informing Communities: Sustaining Democracy in the Digital Age,” a report by the Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy which offers three overarching conclusions and recommendations (www.knightcomm.org):

A. Maximizing the availability of relevant and credible local information. “People need relevant and credible information to be free and self-governing.”

B. Enhancing the information capacity of individuals and local organizations. “People need tools, skills, and understanding to use information effectively.”

C. Promoting public engagement within geographic communities. “To pursue their true interests, people need to be engaged with information and with each other.”

For Humboldt County, California, the lead organization advancing these goals is Access Humboldt -- building local resources and programs to provide community media and broadband access. Access Humboldt advocates for local interests and provides support for digital media production, archiving and distribution to serve public, education and government purposes. Digital literacy and media education workshops are offered to support local voices. More information is available on the website: www.accesshumboldt.net.

To bridge the old and new media, one opportunity to get involved is coming up on Sat., Jan. 29, with Community Radio Day activities at Access Humboldt's Community Media Center at Eureka High School: www.accesshumboldt.net/

site/community-radio-day.

And coming up in March is Sunshine Week and Freedom of Information Day -- celebrated on March 16 for the anniversary of James Madison's birthday: www.

accesshumboldt.net/site/ sunshine-week-and-foi-day.

A good time to consider his words of wisdom: “Knowledge will forever govern ignorance; and a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.”

Another opportunity is to get involved with the Redwood Technology Consortium, redwoodtech.org!

Sean McLaughlin is a digital ecologist, serving as executive director of Access Humboldt whose mission is “Local Voices Through Community Media.” He is a member of the Redwood Technology Consortium, a Knight Media Policy Fellow with New America Foundation and currently serves on the Board of Directors for The Ink People Center for the Arts. He can be reached via e-mail: sean [at] accesshumboldt [dot] net