I’ve read Om Malik’s writing on technology for probably 20 years. I remember him at the old Red Herring magazine and the online news source GigaOm. Lately he’s taken a broader outlook.
I left manufacturing and marketing to join the trade media a little more than 25 years ago. We studied media from the point-of-view of selling writing in my university writing classes. The Columbia Journalism Review decorated my mailbox for a few years. Actually being a part of the media was eye opening. A new boss came along in 2010. He told me I was the old print guy. He was going to take us forward. Notwithstanding I’d started blogging in 2003 and podcasting in 2007. I left to go online only in 2013.
Malik reflects some of that evolution:
The old media has consistently misunderstood digital transformation, and it’s no surprise that we have a media ecosystem still trapped in old monetization models, where “interruptions” have only grown more aggressive. What began as occasional magazine ads has evolved into a constant barrage across all platforms—from billboard-cluttered webpages to podcast sponsorship breaks and algorithmic social feeds designed for ad delivery.
Not afraid to take on the big (but shrinking?) social media platforms:
Social media platforms, built around algorithmic feeds and advertising models, have reduced content discovery to a game of clicks, likes, and engagements. Mass-market media has followed suit, optimizing for sensationalism rather than depth. All of it, from podcasts to news apps, interrupts users constantly with ads, pushing all of us to exhaustion.
Wow, did I ever discover this next point. When I was in management training early in the career, they taught me sales people should sell and never be managers unless trained. Then an old friend laughed at me when I expressed shock in the magazine business, “Gary, who runs magazines? Sales people! What’s a long-term outlook for a sales person? Two months?”
In reality, the seeds of media’s destruction are built into its architecture, because outlets must feed advertising systems, not the audience. The media establishment disregards why audiences visit them, and it’s no surprise the system has reached its limits. Too many advertisements, too many interruptions, and too much “content” mean that, as an end customer, you are decoupled from media brands.
Looking more broadly:
The internet was originally envisioned as a place for connection, collaboration, and discovery. But over time, it has been distorted by business models that prioritize engagement metrics over meaningful interaction. Discovery has long been the open web’s greatest challenge, with search engines turning it into an SEO game and social platforms creating algorithmic echo chambers. AI platforms are making discovery almost irrelevant.
Amen to that. Thanks, Om.
