Looks like the first two sections of The Economist’s New Media survey (April 22, 2006 issue of the print magazine) is accessible online, at least for now. I highly recommend it. It’s got some nice tidbits and turns of phrase related to blogging, wikis, podcasting, interactive journalism and the definition of a media company.
And quotes a good selection of social media insiders, including Mena Trott, Chris Anderson, David Weinberger, David Winer, Adam Curry, Jeremy Zawodny, Dan Gillmor and others.
The survey, written by Andreas Kluth, poses the big question: So what kind of revolution is this? And comes up with a (to me, at least) interesting answer. Namely, that:
“… nobody knows whether the era of participatory media will, on balance, be good or bad. As with most revolutions, it is a question of emphasis. Generally speaking, people who have faith in democracy welcome participatory media, whereas people who have reservations will be nostalgic for the top-down certainties of the mass media.”
Useful Links
Survey intro
It’s the Links, Stupid (about blogging)