TerryWolfischColemayseemlikeanordinary40-year-oldmom,butherneighborsknowthetruth:She'soneofthe"PodPeople."Atthesupermarketshewanderstheaislesinaself-containedbubble,thankstoheriPoddigitalmusicplayer.Throughthoselittlewhiteearbuds,WolfischColelistenstoaplaylistmixedbyherfavoritediscpresenter-herself.
Athome,whenthekidsaretuckedaway,WolfischColeoftenescapestoanothersolomediapod-butinthisone,she'stransmittinginsteadofjustreceiving.Onhercomputerweblog,or"blog",shetypesanonlinejournalchroniclingdailynewsofherlife,thensharesitallwiththeWeb.
WolfischCole-whoalsogetsherdailynewscustomizedofftheInternetandwhosedigitalvideorecorder(DVR)scansthroughthetelevisionwastelandtofindandrecordshowsthatsuithertastes-ispartofanewbreedofpeoplewhoarefiltering,shapingandevencreatingmediaforthemselves.Theyareincreasinglyturningtheirbacksontheestablishedsystemofmassmediathathasprovidednewsandentertainmentforthepasthalf-century.They'vejoinedtheexploding"iMedia"revolution,puttingthepowerofmediainthehandsofordinarypeople.
ThetoolsofthemovementconsistofabubblingstewofnewtechnologiesthatincludeiPods,blogs,podcasts,DVRs,customizedonlinenewspapers,andsatelliteradio.
DevoteesofiMediarunthegamut(范围)fromthe89-year-oldNewYorkgrandmother,knownasBubby,whohastakenupbloggingtoshareherworldlyadvice,to11-year-oldDylanVerdiofTexas,whohasstartedbroadcastingherownhomemadeTVshowor"vlog',forvideoweblog.InbetweenarecountlessiMediaenthusiastslikeRogiervanBakel,44,ofMaine,whoblogsatnight,readsaWeb-customizednewspageinthemorning,travelswithhisfullyloadediPodandcomeshometowatchwhatevertheDVRhaschosenforhim.
Iftheoldmediamodelwasbroadcasting,thisnewphenomenonmight"becalledego-casting,saysChristineRosen,afellowwiththeEthicsandPublicPolicyCenter.Thetermfits,shesays,becausethetrendisallaboutme-me-media-"theideaistogetexactlywhatyouwant,whenandwhereyouwantit."
RosenandotherstracethebeginningsoftheiMediarevolutiontotheinventionoftheTVremote,whichmarkedthefirstsubtleshiftofmediacontrolawayfrombroadcastersandintothehandsoftheaveragecouchpotato.Itenabledviewerstovotewiththeirthumbs-makingiteasiertoabandondullprogramsandavoidcommercials.Withtheproliferation(激增)ofcableTVchannelsinthelate1980sfollowedbythemid-1990sarrivaloftheInternet,controllingmediainputwasn'tjustaluxury."Controlhasbecomeanecessity,"saysBillRose,"Withoutit,there'snowaytosortthroughalltheoptionsthatarebecomingavailable."
