I am working on a book, “Now Is Gone.” Here’s the initial intro…

Now Is Gone. The face of communications has been altered forever. New media – blogs, social networks, user generated video and audio – have arisen with millions upon millions of content producers. This is different than the dot-bomb era, as users are fueling new media, not VC backed start-ups. As a result, the trend will continue to grow in scope, scale and impact.

The real end game is the internet (and the technology industries fueling it) has fulfilled its promise, providing the world a Guttenberg press (in addition to their own production studios). The result is dynamic new environment with incredible amounts of information, content, and entertainment streaming throughout the world’s information infrastructure. The wires and cables and airwaves are atwitter.

With more choices and much more content, media usage patterns have shifted. Generation X, Generation Y and the following generation (Z?) are increasingly digital, leaving behind cable TV and print newspapers in favor of text messaging, You Tube!, and Digg! Now instead of having to trust a newspaper review about a movie or a magazine write up of a car, potential buyers can go online and read actual consumers opinions based on pragmatic experience. They are no longer beholden to one voice (oft influenced by public relations professionals), or a limited network of friends.

A world of experiences lie at consumers’ fingertips, and many simply go to Google (or Yahoo!, MSN, Ask! Or Technorati) to begin their search for information. When they search, socil media sources are often listed as top content vehicles. The result has challenged corporate outreach campaigns, providing disruptive feedback that counters their marketing and public relations efforts.

On March 9, 2007, BusinessWeek wrote, “Trashing brands online can also be high theater. Rats cruising around a Greenwich Village KFC/Taco Bell on YouTube. MySpacers busting their employers’ chops. Faux ads bashing the Chevy Tahoe as a gas-guzzling, global-warming monster. Millions of people watch this stuff—then join in and pile on. Is it any wonder companies lose control of the conversation?â€?

Traditional Media Lingers

At the same time, with the rise of new media trust in traditional media forms has dramatically declined. People no longer wholeheartedly believe the media now that there are alternative voices to read and verify contemporary newspaper reports.

In 2006, newspaper subscriptions declined 2.6 percent, according to the Associated Press. Further, newspaper subscriptions have been in decline since 1987. Broadcast media suffer from dwindling audiences and a complete lack of trust. Pew Research Center’s report, “News Audiences Increasingly Politicized,� demonstrated that no news outlet enjoys a complete trust rating higher than 33% (60 minutes). It’s worse for the traditional print media, with the highest trust rating going to the Wall Street Journal and US News & Report at a whopping 24%.

New media users don’t always believe the old world anymore. Why? Because their personal and online experiences tell them the Washington Post, CNN, the New York Times, etc. are not accurate. And while a blog may be opinionated and inaccurate, the raw voice inspires belief, while the glitzy polished news product says silicon snake oil. The two must co-habitate, an uncomfortable marriage but one forged by end users.

How far will the pendulum swing? Inevitably, too far, but then it will return to a modest balance between new and old media. Wherever the dust settles, we are only at the very beginning of this marketing revolution. The facts are simple. In the United States the baby boomer population is moving towards retirement, actively approaching the time when corporate America passes them by to focus on the next generations of buyers. In some instances, this is already occurring, with major brands like Southwest airlines, Doritos and Nike using new media to actively promote their wares.

With each passing day, the gap between out-dated tactics and current marketing needs widens. It’s incumbent upon our industry as communicators to learn new media, not just from a theoretical level, but as practitioners. Without new media our ability to effectively counsel executives and clients is incomplete. The revolution’s impact on real business marketing campaigns demands our professional attention.