Date sent: Thu, 10 Apr 1997
From: Stefan Krempl

Push Media, Commercialization of the Net

Stefan Krempl

"Media abhors a vacuum. It will colonize any vacant communication channel. And advertising - a type of communication - will follow." (Wired 3/97)

In a nearly divine-mystical way, the omnipresent information - paired with its special form, advertising - will therefore in the near future come down on us, materializing in all the glorified technologies of the communication society: "It means information that cascades, not just through a PC, but across all forms of communication devices - headlines sent to a pager, or a traffic map popping up on a cellular phone. And it means content that does not tp hesitate in finding you -whether you ve clicked on something recently or not." Finally the last still media and advertisment-free spaces - the workplace, schools, lonely walk - could be penetrated by the media and culture industries: "Through cheap wireless technologies, push media are already colonizing the world’s quiet nooks and crannies." Cyberspace and "reality" would become finally surrounded by the media and turned into a networked marketplace. Only one thing promises help: Turn it all off!