Unless you’re a fan of media trade publications, you might be completely unaware that world of Old Media is crumbling as we speak. One might even say they are in the midst of their final death throes. No matter what they do they just can’t seem to reclaim the iron grip they once held over the public mind. And to make matters worse, as viewer/reader/listener levels plummet, so do advertising dollars. And less ad revenue means less money to pay for content that’s worth a damn. For proof of that see the latest Fall lineup.

Getting the worst of it is Print Media. Just last year Merrill Lynch referred to the outlook for newspapers as “deeply depressing.” And in an effort that wreaks of desperation, the Newspaper Association of America came out with a $50 million campaign with the rallying cry of, “Newspaper advertising: A destination not a distraction.” Yikes!

So why are these giants of cultural power suddenly gasping for air? The easy answer is, “It’s the Internet, stupid.” Yup, you got that right. But what’s really interesting here is that the internet has done more than just give us websites. It’s actually fundamentally changed how we as a society communicate.

All of us now have a practically infinite ability to access and share information. And in that kind of situation it hardly matters if you’re backed by a massive media empire — if you’re message isn’t relevant, it ain’t going nowhere. And that’s why a blogger working from home in his undies or an inarticulate ranting teen on YouTube can create content that kicks the asses of the mass media.

“Boy, it would suck to be in their shoes right now, right?”

Ahem. If you’re like 90% of businesses out there, you ARE in their shoes! If you haven’t figured out how to be relevant and you still believe that you “just gotta get your name out there,” then the outlook for your business just might be among the most deeply depressing of all.

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