The document summarizes David Weinberger's views on how the internet is changing media and our relationship to information. Some key points are: 1) The web is not a single medium, but rather allows content to be disassociated from any single medium and spread across many mediums through hyperlinks. 2) In the hyperlinked, abundant world of the internet, metadata about content is becoming more valuable than the content itself for finding and understanding information. 3) Traditional sources of authority like experts, canonical texts, and certified answers are being supplemented or replaced by new forms of authority derived from user contributions, tags, comments, and social networks.

1. Between Media and World
David Weinberger Ph.D.
Harvard Berkman Center for Internet & Society
Self @ evident . com
JohoTheBlog.com
dweinberger@twitter
Venice Sessions - Telecom Italia
October 20. 2009

2. From medium to content

6. The Web is not a medium

8. “Digital life is real life.” - Nicola Greco

9. <a>
hyperlinks
</a>

10. The new punctuation
. , ; :
? ! <a>
<a>

11. Content Medium
<
<a>

12. Difference
Amplify
Agree Disagree
Extend
Support
Reject
Endorse Denounce
Dispute Concur
Discount Recommend Connect

14. The change in authority

15. Authority
The News
Traditional Canon

18. Certified
Answer
STOP
Belief
Point

19. A Book Too Far, by Jane Doe
[Due back on the 12th of next year]
Footnote #354: Doe, Jane.
A Book Too Far page 546
Abelardo Morell

20. New sources of authority:
Metadata

21. Conifers
Point Perry Island
Wave4536a Lobster (escaped)
Tuna132 Shoes
Wave46756c SS Minnow
Long/Lat
Information
Bonito6575
Tuna778
Tuna865
Reef
Lobster#FCA45
Cod93784c Temp 67F

22. Flicker.com/nadya

23. Metadata Data
herman melville
Search

25. Face
ted C
Web
lass
ific
atio
n
tic Web
S eman
Social
Search
ing
Folksonomies
2.0
Crowd
Sourc
ing
Social Tagging
Me chanic al Turk

26. In the hyper-abundant,
hyper-linked world, media’s
value tends toward
metadata.

27. Imperfection

28. bjortklingd@flickr

29. Good enough is good enough
(cc) Herrolm @ flickr

31. Transparency

32. Certified
Answer
Certified
STOP
Answer
STOP
Belief
Belief
Point
Point

35. Media in this new world

38. “Printed matter will be with us forever” -
Giuseppe Vita

39. Shared interests
Difference
Conversation
Mattering

40. Participate with transparent
expertise
as someone to whom the world
matters
in a voice that accepts the
messy differences in how the
world matters to us all.

41. Thank you.
David Weinberger
Blog: www . JohoTheBlog . Com
Email: self@evident . com