The Influential Internet

The Internet has revolutionized how media is presented and opened up an entirely new independent media platform. The struggle for independent outlets throughout history was their distribution. The Internet rid outlets of that problem to the point where, without it, independent outlets would be back at square one. In class Tuesday, we discussed Democracy Now's reference to the viral video from Asmaa Mahfouz and the Egyptian revolution. Without Youtube, it can be argued that the revolution would not have happened or been half as powerful. The Internet has become the go-to medium for independent media because of its ease. Posts can go viral in minutes.

Monetizing the Internet has been a struggle for both mainstream and independent outlets. The traditional model of revenue does not apply to the Internet. We discussed the three models used by independent outlets: small donors, big donors, and advertisements. Indy outlets have to weigh the pros and cons of each and think with the business side of their brain, not just the journalist side.