A Facebook for every season Media Man Int

A Facebook for every season; Google getting googled by business and government

Gonzo journalism style scribblings, by Greg Tingle

Article in progress

Profiles

I don't know about you, but we have a bit of a love - hate relationship with Facebook, as most individuals and media companies (all of our friends and associates) do.

Let's face it - Facebook is hear to stay. They are one half of the now controversial internet duopoly that we're calling the Big FG (Big Facebook Google) duopoly.

Many media commentators, technology and communication experts are now calling in both the Australian and international government to reign in both Facebook and Google, who have adversely effected the business operations (that also means livelihoods), of it would have to be millions of people.

In Australia there's talk of thousands of media and technology workers out of jobs, but the real figure is 10,000s, if not 100,000s of people.

You heard about the buyout - bailout of Network Ten by CBS, Channel Seven recently did another round of culling, and Fairfax Media (publisher of The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, The Canberra Times and others) has been offering redundancy packages to their journalism and advertising employees for years. Editorial cartoonists are of course a dying breed.

MEAA (the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance) seems to have done very little in real terms to save those jobs, as much as they might write about it and hold the occasional street march and protest. What can they do? Business is business.

The economic and business reality is that if a media giant such as a Ten, Seven, or god forbid, ABC or SBS can't continue on with a sustainable business model in tough economic conduction, they are not going to be able to survive, unless they change things - even if it means a buy out / bail out from overseas!

In Europe with the EU connection, Google has been defeated for matters regarding anti competitive behavior and such/ Basically the EU reigned them in and there were all sorts of matters occurring regarding search engine manipulation and so it goes on. There's even some documentaries on this including some that were screened on the ABC and SBS.

What can the everyday Australian individual and business owner / operator do about it?

A few things... work on their organic / nature search engine results

Don't be too reliant on social media, be it Facebook, Google or others

Lobby and inform their co-workers, associates, and even local and state MP's

Adapt to the business environment in smart ways that are not too heavily impacted by social media

Hold business meetings with others in their industry sector and explore solutions i.e. The wisdom of crowds

What now?

For the record, we don't "hate" Facebook or Google. We actually like the firms and are impressed. What we don't like is how many Australian (and international) companies and workers have been adversely effected by the duopoly. Think of a few parallel's and ideas if we can indulge you for a moment...

Support Local Business (local - ilation, not globalization)

Pay for quality goods and services over cheap and poor quality goods and services

V8 Supercars became SuperCars (major sponsor is Virgin Australia)

Telsla offer battery powered vehicles

Solar power being used to as a power source for millions of homes across the globe

Watching television, movies, music videos and such on smartphones is not the norm - regular television watching around the world is down

The point is that things can and will change. There will be new internet technologies that will change of lives in the coming years that haven't even been invented yet. We are living in a world of constant change.

Facebook and Google do not want to loose their grasp of the internet (i.e: they don't want their revenues or influence to decease), but already these companies are loosing their brand value and users are rebelling, and the firms have lost their shine. They are not the media darlings they once were.

You, the reader, can write to Google, Facebook, MP's and others and spread the word that you demand an end to the FG duopoly and demand more diversity of news and information. Millions of people are thinking the same thing. There's a bit push in educational institutions globally, including leading Australian and overseas universities regarding the end of the FB duopoly.

Can you win?

People Power is still a thing.

Be very vocal about companies you like and don't like, and why

Quotes by smart cookies

Internet is like electricity - James Packer (Crown Resorts)

Big will not beat small any more. It will be the fast beating the slow (Rupert Murdoch)... sometimes my unmet friend

Never depend upon institutions or government to solve any problem. All social movements are founded by, guided by, motivated and seen through by the passion of individuals - Margaret Mead