From Web 2.0 to "The Stream"

It’s breathtaking to think about how much has changed in the 21st century. Modern communication has shrunk our world. The Internet has democratized media and decentralized power. Blogs and social networking connect us to the lives and ideas of others, and are revolutionizing journalism. Right?

Not so fast.

Don’t belive the hype, says entrepreneur and media critic Andrew Keen. Andrew made waves in 2007 with his book The Cult of the Amateur. The book proposed that giving everyone access to a wide audience may not be the best thing for society.

Then, at a series of conferences in Europe, Andrew grabbed audiences by the lapels and shook hard. The Internet isn’t leveling the playing field, he exclaimed. On the contrary, companies like Google are consolidating power and creating a huge divide between the haves and have-nots. He compares Silicon Valley giants to the robber barons and monopolists of the mid-nineteenth century. And he joins us to explain his critique of Web 2.0 and the next phase of the Web, called "the stream" by some.

(Photo by Thomas Hawk via Flickr/Creative Commons)