We rely on professionals to provide us with new inventions, programs and other ideas.  We seek  their advice and we call upon them when we can not figure out a solution to a problem.  If we take a look at industries such as technology and music we see a new group of artists and designers emerging creating and designing music and programs. These new artist and designers do not have the same credentials as the professionals but they are just as committed and innovative as the professionals.  These artists and designers are now known as pro-am.

They are rap artists, scientists, business men and women.  They have helped to save the economy and have also helped professional astronomers confirm the theory that explains what happens when a star explodes. The have helped small countries solve minor  economic problems. The advancements of the pro-am have caused many to professionals to defend their professions and try to reclaim their monopoly on them. However, as Paul Miller and Charles Leadbetter suggests, we may call upon both the professionals and the amateurs to collaborate to solve complex problems.

Most of us have always depended upon amateurs in order to save money.  We find people who are good with their hands to fix minor car problems or to do minor repairs around the house.  The labor is cheaper and may even be free. However, when there is a major problem we take our cars to a professional shop, or hire a carpenter or a contractor for for major renovations.  There will always be a need  professionals.

We can not always depend on the amateur to have the right answer or solution to the problem. I am sure they seek advice from professionals in the development or research of their crafts.  So we can leave it to the professionals but also seek assistance from the pro-am.

I love to watch Crime  shows like Law and Order SVU and NCIS. I like to try to figure out who committed the crime after the detectives have uncovered all of the evidence.  Some times I’m right and sometimes I an wrong.  I know who has committed the crime by the end of the show.  Then along comes reality TV; shows like Survivor and America’s Next Top Model where you have to wait 6 to 9 weeks to find out who is the winner.

The first reality TV show started in 1992 on MTV as an experimental documentary show called Real World.Now, you can find realty TV shows on every network and cable channel.  The popularity of the genre is welcome news to networks and   producers because reality television is so inexpensive to make.  You basically watched strangers placed together in one house live their daily lives.  Then the idea came along to have these guest compete for prize money and place them in remote locations across the world.

As viewers watch these shows the need to know who wins before the end or even before the show starts rises. Fan blog sites are created and people with far too much time on their hands use the Internet to research possible locations and people who may be contestants. They google information about the contestants hoping to find current pictures of them to see if they can figure out who won the show.They use collective knowledge in order to gain insight as to what is going to happen.

They create blogs and reveal information about that may or may not be true.  Some of the information that they gather may be correct. For the viewer who generally likes to be surprise these viewers can spoil the out come for you if they are correct. Loyalist who want to be surprised will go through the season avoiding websites and post that are labeled spoilers.  They avoid their ‘”die hard ” fan friends who have “inside information” so that they will not spoil the season for them if they happen to be correct.

Producers  and sponsors love people who play the game of using collective information in order to gather information about the show because they can draw more viewers and sponsors sell more products.

The world of social media is what Paul Levinson calls New New Media. New new media has changed the way my friends and I receive news. Printed information such as news paper and magazine articles have become a thing of the past.  we now seek information by way of the Internet.  We talk by the way of text messages, twitter and other social media outlets.  We no longer rely on the television, radio broadcast or media print for up to date information.  We use our cell phones and computers to keep us informed of  information about our favorite entertainers or news in general.

  The days of sitting and waiting to watch a scheduled program  are long gone.  We used to schedule school classes and other events around a favorite television show.  Now with the help of the Internet we can view these on shows on Hulu, Netflix or the shows website to stay current.  We no longer have to wait on the re-runs to air to find out what we missed.

  In addition to receiving news, new new media allows us to take care of our errands on line as well.  You can purchase food, clothing, pets, and just about anything via the Internet.  For the consumers  who do not like the hassle of shopping in store you can now shop from the convenience of your home.  Store websites, Amazon, Ebay and so on have become our best friends.

New new media has also allowed unknown artist to have an outlet to display there work.  Artist can load their work on to Youtube and millions of people may view their work.  Achieving 15 minutes of fame has become easier to achieve.  Links are shared between friends and if your video is good or funny you may have a billion hits in a matter of minutes.   Artists who may never have sold one record now have a chance to sell at least 1 record to someone who comes across their work.  If these artist are able to obtain a true fan base, as the Blog by 1000 True Fans says then they may be able to have a comfortable life producing work.   They could be just one click away from being a star.

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