Learning from Research
The fragmented nature of media research—particularly media research associated with adult learning—led us to direct, hands-on explorations of the media marketplace. For three years, we’ve been studying the media marketplace, tracking trends and deep-diving into the real world of editorial content. Here’s some of what we have learned:
The Limited Value of Internet Curation
At first, we assumed we would collect and present the best of the many ideas presented on the internet. After researching two dozen topics (from the existence of God to the efficacy of vaccines), we realized (a) that anybody could do what we were doing, so we weren’t adding much value; (b) there was a great deal of duplication as many sites, articles and blogs relied upon an extremely small pool of facts; (c) many of these facts were of dubious provenance: the results of a single poll; statements made in a long-ago newspaper article that may or may not be up to date; ideas without attribution, and, typically, without a second (confirming) source; and (d) many internet experts lacked meaningful credentials. Some sources were consistently excellent (for example, The American Experience from WGBH/PBS), but these comprehensive websites (offering timelines, maps, articles, videos, substantive links, classroom materials) required no curation.
The Value of Books
As we pursued a deeper understanding of, for example, the role of the Second Amendment, we found books to be our very best source. A long internet article runs about 1,000 words; a book runs about 75,000 words. An internet article is composed over the course of a week or a month; a book requires about two years of gestation. Books are written by specialists, often as part of a lifelong exploration of a particular topic, or extensive professional or scholarly work. Books tend to be well-organized, and benefit from professional editors who question and perfect the author’s communication of ideas. Often, there is at least one book (and author) to represent every significant point of view. Of course, books require five or six hours of a reader’s time and intellectual commitment—much more than a documentary, and an order of magnitude more than a web video demands. Our job: to create a framework so that the range of ideas covered in books on a particular topic come to life, hopefully encouraging our audience to pursue topics in more depth by watching a full interview with an author, or reading an article (or book!)
The Value of Original Material
Neither journalism nor education is designed with a 360-degree understanding as a primary goal. Daily journalism is intended to provide the latest developments of a story, not the whole story in all of its contextual glory. Education covers the key facts (so they may be tested), and attempts to provide an extremely wide overview of, say, American History, so there is little time (or appetite) for the consideration of many points of view on most topics. As our approach has evolved, we’ve come to believe that learning is best accomplished through an understanding of multiple points of view. This is difficult to achieve with existing material, which tends to be expansive on some perspectives and silent on others (this, and the fact that most material is not produced so it can be equally balanced with opposing or incongruent ways of thinking). The creation of original material also demands a particular editorial sensibility, a style that the audience often find appealing (see John Oliver section).
The Vitality of Habit
As a rule, humans enjoy their media as a matter of habit: a particular program that airs daily or weekly, a particular character or author or actor whose work they especially enjoy. Habit drives media success. A continuing story with regular characters is a tried-and-true means to drive habit. Some stories are linear and episodic (NCIS); others are simply a continuation of a singular adventure or pursuit (Colbert Report; John Green’s Crash Courses). Original stories, original characters, development of new intellectual property--this is a global marketplace that continues to grow stronger with digital technology. The essence: if you liked it this time, watch the next one. It’s a simple strategy.
The Fading Importance of Demographics
We’ve been working with adults in their twenties, thirties, forties, fifties, sixties and seventies. We are not finding marked differences in their consumption patterns based upon age. The old conventions about age are fading: people in every generation share links to specific videos, articles, photo essays, and features. The old concept of “a channel for teenagers” (the original concept for MTV) seems less relevant in the internet world.
The Importance of Art and Craft
Audiences of all ages and backgrounds continue to respond to material that is novel, energetic, provocative, well-crafted, clever, funny, emotionally-charged, informative, and buzz-worthy. If material is not compelling or relevant, the audience simply goes elsewhere. There are now so many options, there is no reason for anyone to hang around for more than a few seconds before drifting away.
Digital Communities and Participation
People seek out and nurture connections with others who share their interests. These relationships are not based upon proximity or physical convenience (television stations are based upon local geographic areas of coverage assigned by the Federal government), but common ground on the internet is usually shared with people who think in similar ways, regardless of where they are located. This is a powerful shift in the ways that humans interact with one another. Often, the information provided is in the form of original media: photographs, videos, and writing created by individual community members.
Focus Matters. Size Matters. Brand Matters.
As generalist brands struggle (Yahoo!, AOL), internet brands that offer a specific and valuable primary service succeed on the internet (Facebook, Google, eBay, Amazon). Unlike a television station or network, which may offer a wide range of program choices throughout the day (children’s, soap operas, talk shows, prime time dramas, news, sports), modern media companies on the internet choose a specific area of focus, and then expand as the market will allow. There is so much material on the internet (150,000 new hours of video added to YouTube every day), small properties get lost in the mix. A powerful brand, serving a unique market niche (adult learning in a public media context) with a unique profile (stories and characters in a 21st century setting influenced by "Sesame Street"), increases likelihood of success.
An Art. Not a Science.
Although surrounded by technology, the media business continues to be dominated by (a) creative people with a passion for specific ideas; (b) subjective judgments that must be made by the creative and marketing team that is interacting directly with the marketplace; (c) formative and summative research that may or may not be meaningful; and (d) the hard truth that internet statistics provide about audience usage and participation. The integration of these moving parts makes the media business unlike any other. Magic happens here. But not everything made by creative people is magical. And not all magic possesses the necessary power to change people’s lives. Without the magic, the audience tends not to pay much attention at all.