Media ownership and the idea economy

Having just published yesterday's social media and education post, I read that Ethan Zuckerman was preparing for a speaking engagement with the Open Society Institute. His slide deck - thanks Ethan! - is a comprehensive look at the most common applications and tools for DIY information managment, which he hopes will improve the organization's research and advocacy.

If I may paraphrase: He makes the case that knowledge management has moved down the hall and into your office.

You are the IT Department.

No, no, that's a good thing.

Related, Tom Peters, who appears in CNN.com's World Business section today, points out that the idea economy is powered by individuals.

'The only way we're going to survive is to innovate our way out of the box,' he told a recent conference audience. 'We're down to one idea, which is innovation.'

Peters says 90 percent of all existing white-collar jobs will either disappear or be reconfigured 'beyond recognition' within the next 10-15 years.

A little later,

...It's this free flow of ideas and human capital that will underpin much of the economic growth of the next 50 years.

According to Peters, sitting at the very heart of this tumultuous change is the individual. Only by encouraging original thought and 'nurturing the freaks' will companies have the skills and drive needed to grow.

You know that innovation is terribly important. But here's the exciting part: innovators, the freaks, also own the media. And a big chunk of the future.

Wayne