The Ecology of Digital Media

8/14/2019 The Ecology of Digital Media

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The Ecology of Digital Media

Extract from a 1999 proposal to the European Commission. Author: Kieran OHea

'Before we can have a digital economy, we must have a digital ecology'

Konrad Becker, European Cultural Backbone (ECB)

The overall objective is to stimulate the development of the digital media community by creating a new milieu,

within which the development of digital media companies is facilitated. This will be achieved through the

publication of a set of five studies, focused on providing both incisive and practical assistance to new digital

media companies, whilst concurrently, providing valuable feedback from the digital creative constituency,

directly into the European research loop.

The studies:

Digital Leadership' A-Z of Setting up a Digital Media Business Self-Publishing and Broadcasting: Alternatives for Digital Entrepreneurs Digital Exploitation Creating Digital Momentum

Addressing the challenges of the digital media environment

The digital media environment straddles traditional industry boundaries and explores the creative space

between different media forms. Moreover they have to face many operational, legal and regulatory issues

which are unique to the emerging digital economy including:

embryonic nature of the industry predominance of new micro-enterprises continuous evolution of business models stupendous rate of technological change platform instability new types of companies and new mix of disciplines

The key challenge for the digital media industry, the creative community and the research institutions is to find

effective ways of transcending these barriers to progress, provide employment and prosperity within the

industry and society at large.


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Unique approach

A distinguishing feature of the studies will be the approach adopted. The focus will be on compiling a practical

reference guide that will treat the practicalities, and everyday challenges, associated with all phases of setting-

up, establishing and sustaining a digital media company. The studies aim to celebrate the initiative andingenuity, typical of the digital entrepreneur, and capture that as a series of best practice guidelines.

The results of the findings will also be distilled into a series of recommendations that will seek to break down

the barrier of uncertainty between digital media and traditional industry, and enable new relationships to

develop, and increase Europes chances of capitalising on its vast reserve of creativity and culture.

Common issues addressed throughout the studies:

new business models e-culture enabling Europe to realise the potential of its creativity and culture creative expression versus business discipline individual publisher versus the structured corporate status-quo nurturing creativity mechanisms for supporting the creative industry and incubating their ideas creativity and social cohesion

Experienced writers

The initial development of the digital media industry by-passed traditional media structures including the

funding, development, production, publishing and distribution routes that characterise them. It is clearly

crucial now, for the progress of this dynamic industry, that the digital media communities are embraced into

the research and decision making process, and that a platform is provided, from which their particular

requirements are made clear. For this reason, the studies will focus on the challenges faced by this

community; they will in addition, provide a unique perspective, as they will be prepared by members of this

same community, who too are faced daily, with similar challenges.

European perspective

The issues facing the digital media world are of a similar nature throughout Europe. It is envisaged to clearly

identify these issues by conducting a pan-European survey, conducted by specialists in the European

environment, with assistance of relevant groups, for example, the European Cultural Backbone (ECB). This

combined with the envisaged workshops will play an important role in the context of establishing a stronger

voice for the digital media community.

Community publishing


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Given the nature of the studies it is crucial that not only does the publishing community have a direct input

into the development of the studies but that the results are clearly accessible to all the community. Thus, it is

envisaged to harness the talent of the digital media community in the production of the reports, by writing the

studies in a collaborative environment. Draft versions of the studies will be made available in this workspace

and user feedback will be incorporated into the final versions, which will be disseminated on the Internet.

OBJECTIVES

The clear intention is to conduct a series of studies that will treat the real issues facing the realisation of the

creative potential. The studies will be formatted in a clear and helpful manner, written for the industry by the

industry. Micro-businesses (and SMEs), real and potential, will benefit in a direct manner, using the guides as a

resource and advice reference. Issues currently not addressed will be treated. The end result will be a stronger,

more vibrant industry with increased employment potential throughout Europe. In addition, digital media hasthe potential to contribute not only to economic growth, but also to creative richness and cultural diversity.

Because digital media has lain outside the boundaries of many of the traditional creative forms, it has been

attractive to those excluded from them. The young in particular have found a fluency, an affinity and a sense

of achievement in digital media. Thus, digital media has an important role to play in relation to empowering

the citizen.

The small digital media and new media community represents the state of the art in terms of exploitation of

the converging media and human potential and creativity. The in-depth analysis of these companies and

people, which the studies will provide, will provide the ideal sample, not only to quantify, but also to predict in

the future, the actual key social, economic, organisational and behavioural implications to society at large.

To triumph in this industry we need a mixture of skills and resources: Artistic talent, business knowledge,

financial resources, global visibility, asset ownership and international branding. Artistic talent, perhaps the

most difficult element in the mix to orchestrate, we have in natural abundance. It is essential that Europe

takes the opportunities presented to it by this wealth of creative talent. With appropriate investment, training

and regulatory support Europe's digital media sector can become a major player at the forefront of its

burgeoning global industry. For compelling cultural as well as economic reasons it is essential that action is

taken by government and by the industry itself.

Knowledge industries

The nature of the industries which fuel our economy is changing dramatically. One of the defining features of

the digital economy is the rise of new knowledge industries which more than half of the total GDP in the rich

economies now knowledge-based. The high-tech industries have almost doubled their share of manufacturing

output over the past two decades to around 25 per cent and knowledge-intensive services are growing even

faster. The creative industries are a central part of the knowledge economy. The digital media industry, which

straddles both the high-tech and the creative industries, is therefore central to our future economic

prosperity.


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The intention of the studies is to support ongoing and future research in the area of Social and Business

Models for Multimedia Content (Key Action III.1.1). The studies will play a key role, within the framework of a

structured hierarchical approach to the analysis, and research of the digital and new media environment. They

will provide a valuable insight and reference into the reality of the digital media world, and suggest a series of

lines of research for further exploitation.

The unique practical approach adopted by the studies and the nature of their advice will provide the perfect

balance to offset the more academic approaches expected from other research and studies projects within this

and other Action Lines. The studies will act as intermediary between digital media companies concerned with

the actual day-to-day realities of setting up, running, and succeeding in a digital media business environment

and the more 'purer' research projects. It is expected that the two approaches can play entirely

complementary roles, providing the necessary holistic approach that is required to fully understand a new

emerging industry - such as that of digital media.

The results of the studies will also supply valuable input to the research community, thus focusing the research

community on the real issues concerned with digital media, creativity and the cultural aspects. The findings are

intended to act as valuable resource for IST project preparation, will assist projects to focus on the real

expressed interests of the digital media. And can be employed to prepare the rapid take-up of the transfer of

expertise from the digital media environment to the research community. Their implications, apart from

generating momentum for the digital industry, will also affect numerous and varied sectors including:

educational, cultural, technical and society as a whole. Focus is on benchmarking the emergence of new socio-

economic and business aspects in the European creative, content and information industries.

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The Ecology of Digital Media