Form without revolution

In a few minutes, we get a blast of the SXSW Conference in Austin, Texas, courtesy of Joi Ito, who, if you don't know him, goes everywhere and meets everyone. Merci Hammon and Justin Hall produced and posted the clip. Eric Steuer of the Creative Commons, Mike Hudack of blip.tv, Doc Searls and Halley Suitt get time inThere's a real sense that there is a camera running. conversation with Joi. It's not well lit, but it's very much like the video you see on television in every other way.

It's the extension of a form of media without an accompanying revolution in narrative. Of course, it's early in this history, but I'd like to see more drawing outside the lines.

For the past month or so, a group of folks has been blogging about the future of storytelling at the Media Center blog. This video is an example of where we have been and where we're going, it doesn't break any new ground. It is, as the Media Center gang suggests, a new form of relationship between storyteller and audience, but the conventions are not collapsing.

Everyone speaks in slogans or language that aspires to brevity or memorableness to Joi, a witness followed by a camera. There's a real sense that there is a camera running. Joi even does a walkaway shot at the close to complete the segment. Some of it is funny, particularly Doc, though I'd rather hear him debate the value of the idea of "top-ten bloggers" about any subject.

It's absolutely fabulous that anyone can get a camera and tell a story to a global audience. It's not so great that television news and reality programming seem to be the only mode of narrative. Even things like PodSlam, which has great poetry slam programs, feels contrived to compete with MTV.

I'm waiting for something new. The videosphere/podosphere is already feeling a lot like the already painfully old bloggers v. journalism argument, where two sides try to do many of the same things and argue over trivia.

Tell me what to look at. Tell me what to listen to if there's a podcast you like.