Mashable has an article today about Newsweek’s interview with Tim Geithner live on Facebook. Using UStream, they broadcast the interview live from their Facebook page and allowed users to comment.
This is cool for a couple reasons. First, it’s Newsweek, not necessarily known for being a cutting edge publication. The fact that they are broadcasting on Facebook and experimenting with this platform should be proof enough that they see legitimacy in social media and are looking for ways to utilize it.
Second is that this is entertainment 2.0. They realize that it is no longer about simply broadcasting your message to the public and telling them what you want them to hear. You must allow the audience to be a part of the conversation if you want the kind of engagement that is necessary to survive in today’s turbulent media landscape.
To take a look into the past, I think this is what the guys behind WebTV had in mind the whole time. The convergance of television (really just video in general) and the web. With everyone and their mother’s mother trying to create the next set top box in the living room, this vision is quickly becoming a reality.
The rich video experience combined with the conversational nature of social media such as Facebook brings entertainment to a whole new level. People are already tweeting about their favorite shows while they are on TV, but when you can watch and discuss in the same place, its like watching a show with your 2,000 closest friends.
It’ll be very interesting to see how this convergence continues in the future and how the traditional media networks merge with the new social media networks. Mainstream Social Media (MSSM) anyone?
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