One of the most dizzying examples of the transformative power of the internet has been the popular emergence of self-broadcasting websites and individual blogs. Audiences for these social media are no longer restricted to receiving information from a central broadcaster, they engage in a dialogue by generating and publishing their own content.
For the performing arts community these changes present significant opportunities. This paper identifies these developments and explores their capacity to replace the heavy tools of mass communication with more flexible instruments of self-expression. The potential is infinite, writes Reid, but progress itself is not without risk, including IT addiction and information overload.
He highlights areas of conflict, such as current copyright and intellectual property legislation, issues of site administration, privacy and quality control, and discusses opportunities for the arts with some of the leading experts in the field.
