Stated another way, to paraphrase Mark Twain, reports of mass media's death were greatly exaggerated.
It's not that the promise of social media is dead nor even that it the term social media should be retired because it has been relegated to being little more than a "delivery boy" for mass media, but rather that mass media adapted to the new age of web 2.0. We knew that it would; mass media was not going to shrivel up and die. But neither has the promise of Social Media shriveled up and died at the hands of mass media. The two can and should co-exist in coopertition.
The individual still has more power at their fingertips than ever before in history. That genie is not going to be stuffed back in the bottle. Social media has and will be a powerful tool to keep the big guys - whether mass marketers, mass media or oppressive regimes and politicians - looking over their shoulder.
So, if by, "a sad end to a promising start," you mean we need to revitalize the promise of social media to continually challenge, balance and, even, support mass media (and the other powers that be), then yes, I agree.
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