Why (and when) this weekly column will transition to an archive
DIY Web 2.0 Empowerment
While writing this column I have reflected on the strategies I've used to empower myself via Web 2.0 for more than two decades. I am struck by how little they have had to change despite the evolution of technology over that time frame.
The biggest change has been in adapting to new ways of communicating online via a combination of video, audio and text so that viewers can absorb rather than read information – while simultaneously allowing AI and search engines to scan the same information. Communication styles work well when they reflect the personality of the communicator. Consequently, the best way to adapt our communication skills is not via instruction but by practising, experimenting, and observing.
Beyond coming to terms with the integration of technology into all aspects of our lives, when it comes to the application of digital strategy, new tech' does not need to be constantly assessed and reviewed after all. There just aren't that many new ideas.
There are a lot of people trying to make tech oligarch and technofeudalism riches using variations of the same ideas that have already been established.
There will inevitably be cataclysmic disruptions from AI as it develops further. However, as it is not human intelligence, the likelihood that we can predict its impact on the future is low. We humans have a common problem: we don't know what we don't know.
I have two predictions in relation to AI and the arts:
i) The transference of value from art to artist, which we've seen over the last decades, will grow further. This will require greater personalisation of art and involving 'the hand' of the artist – rather than assistance by others, including machines. As I understand from personal experience, this creates more demands of artists.
ii) AI will probably solve the current problem of owning and being able to re-sell digital assets more elegantly and efficiently than blockchain. In basic terms, digital assets could then become the equivalent of books, videos, artworks, records etc which, if collectable, can potentially retain or increase in re-sale value. This would be a tipping point to make Web 3.0 ubiquitous. However we’re not there yet so my focus remains on Web 2.0.
My columns are a guide on how to create an organised, easily navigable structure for your online content and how to communicate within that structure. Once the former is established and the latter becomes well practised, the process becomes streamlined by default. It is similar to the labour of creating a garden, starting with composting the soil, compared to the labour of tending a well-established garden.
After realising that tech' changes have less impact on this strategy than I'd anticipated, it became clear that an ongoing weekly column is not necessary after all. It’s better as a guide with a beginning and an end that can be broadly accessed for autonomous learning.
Over the next month or two I will cover the remainder of everything I have to share about digital strategy for creators. On completion, these columns will remain as a paywalled archive for anyone who wants to learn by themselves. It will be static, which means that after concluding the column I will no longer reply to questions. So if you have any questions, please ask them within the next couple of months.
When the column concludes, paid subscribers will have the option of a 15 minute direct-message conversation with me about digital strategy (via Chat on the Substack platform) or, for subscribers who paid yearly, a refund of the remaining amount.
The option of paid subscriptions will continue, for anyone who wants continued access to the column archives.