Tuesday, October 13, 2009

I Just Had A Revelation

Don't get me wrong, I'm probably not the first person to realise this, but:

For the past ten years the old 80's cartoon and toy franchises have seen an astounding rebirth. What's old is new again. GI Joe, Transformers, He-Man and many more have experienced this. And the reason is simple: The kids of the 80's are the executives of today, and they remember what they love and want it back.

That's not my revelation. I've discussed this with friends for years. Everyone knows it's true. But I just realised something similar:

The kids and young adults of today are downloading music, movies, books and TV, to name but a few. They are illustrating a need for new copyright laws and a modern method of distributing media, but it is the current executives and company CEO's that refuse to embrace change*. We currently hear of all the legal battles big companies, such as the RIAA, go through against little people to enforce their authority. However, today's young adults will be tomorrows CEO's. And executives. And lawyers. And judges!

We just need to grin and bare it for the time being. Things will improve. Media will grow. Digital distribution will become a common, standard, household function, like shopping. DRM will be a thing of the past, as legitimate people will not be made feel like criminals, and more people will use legitimate methods in response.

All we need to do is wait for our youth to be in charge, and let their vision change the world. We should really listen to them when they tell us how the world is many years from now. They'll probably be right.

*- I realise this is a broad generalization. Many of today's companies are moving toward digital distribution as the norm now, even for music. But there are still a ridiculous number companies holding out for the old days.

1 comment:

Disagreeable Me said...

You could have a point, but there's another perspective too.

People tend to get a bit more conservative and right wing as they get older. Or at least there is a popular perception that they do, which may or may not be true.

So a lot of people will happily pirate away in their teens, but by the time they become judges and executives, etc, they might have a different attitude.