5/2/08

Video of the day: Springsteen singing in the streets of Copenhagen = citizen media



(via ChrilleB83)
I am not sure how many big time artists could pull this off nowadays. My take is, it had to be the right town (Copenhagen), the right time (middle of the afternoon) and the right artist. Fact is, Springsteen is uber-cool (I don't really care how cliche that sentence sounds).

I have a stubborn headache today so forgive me if the following parallel is a bit raw and not totally thought-through:

I would pose that the debate between mainstream media (MSM) and the blogosphere is akin to comparing Springsteen performance in a recording studio versus a street performance:

1) They are complement to each other, not antagonistic.


2) They both serve the same purpose (communication for MSM/blogs; entertainment for the performances.)

3) Journalism is a demanding profession that requires years of training and work. No one can pretend to become one overnight. Similarly, the production of a studio song takes time and hard work. No one is disputing nor should dispute the need for both products.

4) One is polished and reviewed by many before it's made available to the public. The other comes to life almost instantaneously, with variations in quality but is able to draw a definite appeal because of its "realness" and direct, close interaction with its audience.

5) The generational divide is clear. Youth in general would favor "realness" and approachability versus the finely tuned version.

6) Just as a street performance of a song can sometimes have more soul or more added value than a recorded one, a blog entry can sometimes bring more flavor than a journal article that is canvassed by rules. This is evidently not often the case but the value of direct raw information cannot be denied.

7) If the street version is mediocre, the resulting negative feedback is immediate. The general public will judge whether the performance is news-worthy or not.

As for me, I just wanted to sing along "the River" with the Boss.
It's Friday for crying out loud ! TGIF to all.

PS: I just realized I posted something about this before. My memory is failing me faster than Igor Karlovic's first serve.

3 comments:

  1. Anonymous9:12 AM

    Lova,

    What a treat. You know how I love Springsteen.
    Back to citizen media re journalism, if we think of countries like Madagascar where a de facto censorship exists and where some journalists work as mercenaries and can be paid for writing articles biased towards one's preferences, citizen media brings lots of fresh air, fresh ideas and opinions. I confess that I get more of the "on the street" feel from the bloggers than from the bona fide journalists who, depending on the newspapers they work for, I suspect of some level of copinage.

    I read about this Springsteen episode on the Copenhagen street in the Washington Post. They had an article about a similar experience : a world renowned very talented violonist played pieces in the DC metro, they observed how many people stopped to listen and how many would recognize the quality of the musician. Not many stopped to listen, some even complained of the noise. We in DC are deaf to beauty as well.

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  2. Yep, the economics surrounding journalism back home is the main reason why one has the nagging feeling of censorship. I doubt it's a direct order but a financial squeeze is probably just as effective.
    If DC's commuters are deaf, I would venture that the non-campus part of the town here is deaf, blind and mute.

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  3. Anonymous7:17 AM

    He's almost there ! Indianapolis did vote for him, did it not ?

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