The Art Of Heresy (Or How To Thrive Under The Benevolent Rulership Of King Gabe Rivera)
Just in case nobody told you.
Time is dead.
My brother recently sent me a MP3 of some song he thought was hot. I loved the song.
But the thought of when it was actually released didn’t even pop into my mind.
It used to be that what was hot was time based.
It’s what made the Top 40 relevant. You wanted the latest shit.
It’s how mass media operated. What’s popular this week?
But here’s the truth.
No one cares what’s popular now.
People want to know what’s relevant to them now.
The movie business is dying because it’s time based.
The number one movie? Who cares?
Just make sure it’s in the theaters after my friends tell me it’s good and when I want to see it. Or I’ll buy the bootleg.
The Broadcast television business is dying because it’s time based.
The number one tv show? Who cares?
Just make sure what I can watch what I want, when I want or I’ll bypass all the commercials on TIVO.
The record business is dead because it was time based.
The number one song? Who cares?
I’ll download what I want NOW.
Blame cars, planes and the internet.
Time is dead.
So what does this mean if you are a blogger or a new media honcho?
It means several things.
One. Fuck popularity. Popularity is time based. It’s dying. Your audience will not all find you on the same day, week, month or even year.
In the blogging tech world controlled benevolently by our King Gabe Rivera and his minions, it is easy to get caught up in the popularity/time game.
I know what I am going to say is heresy, but your readers don’t play that game.
They live in a universe that doesn’t work that way.
They are not going to be looking for Molly’s great post about the Zune today. Or any links to it.
They are going to be looking for it when they are looking to buy a Zune.
Today they will be looking for something else.
You may not have noticed but people have started throwing away their watches.
And not just literally.
Your audience already knows time doesn’t matter.
In a timeless age quality counts.
If your audience can view you anytime, anywhere then you have to be good all the time.
I may read your post 2 years from now and think it’s cool and you’re cool.
Or (if you read this blog) that this posts sucks and I suck.
This isn’t the age of mass, time-based media.
This is the age of individualized, timeless media.
You can take that to church.
Explore posts in the same categories: blog networksTags: bloggers, broadcast television, death, distance, gabe rivera, Molly Wood, movies, music, religion, Steven Hodson, techmeme, timeless, Zune
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April 22, 2008 at 5:57 am
I’ll read this post again in a couple of years.
April 22, 2008 at 6:15 am
[…] chartreuse wrote an interesting post today on The Art Of Heresy (Or How To Thrive Under The Benevolent Rulership Of King Gabe Rivera)Here’s a quick excerptThe Art Of Heresy (Or How To Thrive Under The Benevolent Rulership Of King Gabe Rivera) Just in case nobody told you. Time is dead. My brother recently sent me a MP3 of some song he thought was hot. I loved the song. But the thought of when it was actually released didn’t even pop into my mind. It used to be that what was hot was time based. It’s what made the Top 40 releva… Read the full post from chartreuse Tags: Music, movies, Religion, Bloggers, Death, timeless, distance, Blog Networks, Broadcast Television, TechMeme, gabe rivera, zune, molly wood, Steven Hodson via Blogdigger blog search for music. […]
April 22, 2008 at 9:11 am
“This isn’t the age of mass, time-based media.
This is the age of individualized, timeless media.”
Those lines were my favorite. I do not know if I agree with everything you wrote but those lines made me think that you “might” be on to something.
April 22, 2008 at 10:48 am
Dude, you are so right about this.
April 22, 2008 at 11:18 am
Really? Good!
I was talking to Rafi about it and made it into a post.
You are a perfect example of that.
April 22, 2008 at 12:22 pm
The problem when you write is you really sound so right. Okay, Robert is right when he said that you are so right about this. I agree.
April 22, 2008 at 12:23 pm
Too much worrying about who’s on techmeme – not enough looking at who people really read and why — besides, it’s the individuality of content that makes this what it is.
And Brucey – love your stuff. Keep being you.
m
April 22, 2008 at 12:25 pm
I spent the past hour cruising this site. You are entertaining and informative. Wish I would have discovered you sooner but I am glad I did. The funny part is I found a link this morning on Techmeme. It was not really related to the topic I was looking for but the pictures and writing hooked me. A perfect example of what this post is about. Nice job!
April 22, 2008 at 12:37 pm
Thanks!
But if I am right (and I believe I am) then what does that mean about content and value?
April 22, 2008 at 4:35 pm
I don’t know if I believe that “hot” is dead. I think it is for a lot of us on a certain edge (and it may not be the leading one) who have opted out. For this slice, yeah, I’ll like what I like when I come across it.
As for meaning, I’m not sure it’s the same across the spectrum of information and content. For some stuff—I’m thinking bleeding edge tech-y stuff—content has to be up-to-the-minute, which probably means it’s got a short shelf life. For other stuff–the stuff “brucey” (oh, god, how I love Robert’s new handle!) and I write, for example–it can live on. I have people just discovering my coming-up-on-4-yo site now, and there’s a ton of content, most of it still relevant. Ditto Robert’s.
But there’s still a certain amount of herd mentality operating. And certain demographics are probably always going to care about hotness more than others. There are far more things that can be found hot now than there were in, say, 1965 or even 1995.
It’ll be interesting to see where we are in another five years. If we’re here at all by then.
One final thought: it feels like with the gradual elimination of time mattering, the splintering of the market and the explosion of choice, the big money (used figuratively and literally) is in filtering. How do you get the good stuff to the people who want it? B/c people, they want the stuff that’s meaningful to them now, NOW!
April 22, 2008 at 4:37 pm
Jesus. I’ll tell you what’s dead: my ability to be pithy. Sorry about the novel, folks.
April 22, 2008 at 4:46 pm
Damn I miss talking with all you smart people! (But I’ll get over it, I’m sure. :) )
I think everyone cares about hotness in their target demo. What’s hot with my friends. What’s hot with people I don’t know? Who cares.
And isn’t up to the minute relative?
April 22, 2008 at 5:04 pm
Nice outside of the box thinking. While reading this post, I realized I don’t care what’s on TV anymore, or even what movie is playing in the theaters, either. I figure the best stuff will be recommended to me at some point when I’m ready.
April 22, 2008 at 7:51 pm
[…] The Art Of Heresy (Or How To Thrive Under The Benevolent Rulership Of King Gabe Rivera) « chartreus… Time is dead […]
April 22, 2008 at 8:49 pm
I think you are right about the importance of quality. Quality is very important.
I like reading quality dated years ago. I like reading quality that is 2000 years old.
But, as a stock trader, I will tell you that timing is also very important.
I really want to know what is going on now. I think it has to do with connecting and participating with other people – with humanity.
For example, leaving a comment on one of your posts from 2006 won’t allow me to participate in this discussion as it is happening.
April 22, 2008 at 10:08 pm
Once the web provides massive individualization across the populous, it will truly reflect the humanity it serves. With massive dissenting opinions captured, imagine how fractured our concept of “normal” will become; better yet, imagine shrugging-off the convention all together.
Keep tweaking our minds!
April 22, 2008 at 10:23 pm
re: “what does that mean about content and value?”
It means value pools around the attention given by the audience. Capturing an audience captures value. Now to get back to work making that value fungible.
April 22, 2008 at 10:30 pm
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April 23, 2008 at 12:07 am
the sequel to this post will be “fuck your stats (too).”
April 23, 2008 at 1:41 am
I’m not very fond of my hair in either of those two shots.
April 23, 2008 at 5:16 am
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April 23, 2008 at 6:34 am
Excellent post. Thank you for amplifying your argument by solely focusing on the side that is not talked about much.
Just to balance things out, here is the other side:
People want to be the first!
The first to see the movie that will earn a gazillion $$.
The first to listen to that hot song by a new 16 year old.
The first to buy a new shiny Xbox.
So time and timing will always play a huge role.
Quality comes into play only during Round 2.
The best combination is: have a huge but exclusive launch. Followed by leveraging the long tail and making sure your product is where people want it when they want it.
April 23, 2008 at 6:35 am
I was looking for one with a crown on your head. Unfortunately those don’t seem to be published anywhere. :)
thanks for being a good sport!
April 23, 2008 at 11:09 pm
May Time rest in peace.
April 24, 2008 at 8:10 am
Time is convenient. Not at all times, but sometimes. Time to go to work…
April 26, 2008 at 12:12 am
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April 26, 2008 at 11:38 am
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April 28, 2008 at 10:47 am
Your on to something bigtime here. Great post
April 30, 2008 at 10:41 pm
and what I come away with is this, I so missed that kenna had a new album.
but the first one ruled.
May 1, 2008 at 10:58 am
http://idolator.com/386045/the-flobots-make-modern-rock-radio-safe-for-rappin-whitey-again
Flobots #7 on Hot Modern Rock tracks. Song still blows.
May 1, 2008 at 10:59 am
shoot… commented to the wrong post.
FAIL
May 11, 2008 at 12:09 am
“If your audience can view you anytime, anywhere then you have to be good all the time.”
Hear, here!
June 29, 2008 at 9:22 am
I’m going to hang on to the link for this one. I quit wearing a watch in the late 90s. People thought I was insane. But I’ve never been late for a meeting or a flight. Haven’t relied on TV for news or entertainment since 2002. I bought a cool Sony Bravia 37″ Flat screen in January. Not hooked up to cable though. Use it for movies and online shows. And it’s pink.
June 29, 2008 at 9:28 am
Gr8 post!
Thanks
June 29, 2008 at 10:08 am
Let me say this slowly.
T h a n k y o u.
June 29, 2008 at 10:38 am
Great points, and (more important) actionable. The bit about the movie, TV and record businesses being dead is a bit hyperbolic, though. Seismic shift in their business models, yes, but dead… not so much. They’re still gigantic businesses — don’t be shocked, but they’re even bigger than Techmeme or Twitter! :-)
June 29, 2008 at 10:40 am
Nice to see another heretic wandering around the internet.
I’m not sure I entirely agree though. Time does exist and we do notice its passing. Unless you live in an abandoned NORAD bunker at the very least you’ll be aware of day or night or whether there’s snow on the ground.
Timelessness exists alongside time. There’s my Zen thought for the day.
June 30, 2008 at 1:56 pm
[…] is back with a great post. Interesting thoughts about how time is becoming less important as we know it and that relevance […]
July 14, 2008 at 9:52 am
Individualized and timeless. Great description. Captures the fact that all these blog posts and so forth are moments of “now”. Reveals the infinite flow of humanity, everything in the right time and place for each individual, not masses. Out of time, asynchronous Life.
Peace.
July 14, 2008 at 9:54 am
Oh, and now… now you’re really cool, cuz I said so! Well, now anyway.
June 2, 2009 at 2:08 am
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