gapingvoid: "cartoons drawn on the back of business cards"

owning the means of conversation

So the BBC, thinking the internet terribly empowering yak yak yak, decide to emulate the blogosphere themselves. Something that acted like the blogosphere- a mini blogosphere, as it were... all happening on its own server, within its own specified interface, with all that wonderfully reassuring Beeb branding... Ahhhhhhhh.

They come up with "ican". As in "I can", geddit? The idea is you go to THEIR SITE and "empower" yourself by interacting on THEIR TERMS on THEIR SERVER with other like-minded "empowered citizens" yak yak yak.

Well, thanks for telling me that "I can", you stupid quango*. Like I needed your permission. (*Quasi-Autonomous Non-Government Organisation, in case you were wondering).

But that attitude is typical of the BBC, or any big media company...

"Come to OUR site and use OUR technology on OUR server and use OUR interface based on OUR agenda... so when it takes off the and the media gets a hold of the story they'll write about OUR site and OUR technology and OUR agenda..."

i.e. "WE HAVE TO OWN THE MEANS OF CONVERSATION."

It's not just they think an orchestra needs a good conductor. They assume they have a God-given right to own the musical instruments as well.

"Owning the means of conversation." Remember that term. It's a good one.

Posted by hugh macleod at April 12, 2004 5:19 PM | TrackBack