It is difficult to write our way out of this place. It is easy to find the words, each one weighing in on the emotional weight of the issues. This paragraph could disappear once I find my feet. Cuomo and Mandates. Where we were two weeks ago. How it relates to now. Let's try to triangulate: Forget Trump. Don't forget the Republicans and progressive Democrats, who are preventing the passage of the bipartisan bill on infrastructure. Don't listen to half-truths or evasions. These are just talking points that will fill the air until the rubber hits the road.Remember the courageous athletes who risk their lives for the safety of their coworkers. Honor the public servants who make difficult decisions that bring us honesty, empathy and resolute choices. This will help to distinguish between malignant frauds and actual outcomes at the polls. Draft laws to remove politicians from the process if they refuse to answer questions. The media should be held accountable for the choices they make in coverage, debate and commercial breaks.There has been a heated argument over the delay in recording a show and then releasing it on Techcrunch. The show was released in a post-produced manner with music added. Sneak Peeks produced the post to promote the show. It also contains a post that is somehow connected to the context of the show. I noticed that the time delay served a purpose in diluting the urgency of the conversation. Instead, it allowed me to add context from the actual events. Although the news is always presented as the first draft, ratings pressure creates the need to transform stories from informative clickbait to controversial.Marshalled through this take-the-foot-off-the-gas filter, the black and white becomes more shades of gray, less subject to the attitudes of the individual Gang members and more attuned to the sense of the group as a whole. Consider the ongoing struggle between social media giants, and antitrust pressure to regulate some of the most destructive aspects of the social media storm. One side denounces attempts to limit the companies' success in building audiences and unrivalled power in the market. Another side claims it is broken and must be fixed by dismantling these new monopolies that were born out of user satisfaction with the stream commentary, sarcasm and family news. Perhaps the battle lines are drawn between individual rights and the collective good. This is evident in the fight to control COVID via vaccine mandates. There is a middle ground between these rigidly coded partisan stances. It may be more gentle than being right, but it can also have a greater sense of compromise.The topic of mandates is a subject that comes up on every program. While the immediate news is New York City's new rules regarding indoor gyms and entertainment venues, the bigger picture is the division between the federal government's lack of power and the politics of governors from the Red states, who are refusing to implement any mandates. This includes the outlawing of local governments protecting citizens from the negative effects of unvaccinated people. It seemed impossible to address any aspect of the crisis two weeks ago. The New York move today may inspire more people to take action to protect themselves. Data shows that there has been a doubled in the number of vaccinations given to the most affected states. The media include this promising data in their stories, pushing partisan memes to fringes of coverage. This creates a flexible narrative that reflects the old-fashioned belief that government can get some things done. It also helps to reduce the distrust that fuels so many vaccine hesitant.Most of the mandate discussion revolves around getting back to the new norm. Digital transformation is accelerating at an alarming rate, and the pandemics seem to be a sign that we are not returning to pre-pandemic levels anytime soon. There is now a realization that what we thought of as survival is actually a prelude to how we live at work and home. We discuss our creative heroes from the show, many who became well-known on stage and in the media. Streaming has shaken both Hollywood and news networks, whose business models are being challenged by the tech social media networks. Facebook claims that video is now taking up more than 50% of its network's time. As a counter to Facebook and Google's control over the advertising markets, Amazon is seeing its advertising revenue grow rapidly. Digital advertising is taking over the linear broadcast Upfronts market.The creator economy is a self-important gesture in the face the bull of the mainstream media. We often talk about it. The Information, a subscription-based tech journal, is reminiscent of what Substack or Twitter Revue, two newsletter startups, will look like as they age. Similar promises are made by the social audio Clubhouse clones, which promise to be viable competitors for Fox, CNN, MSNBCs and other realigning media companies. The promise of success at each end of this spectrum runs into the unrealistic reality of spending too much time searching for useful differentiation or unprofessional media.The social networks are not as savvy as the creators. After the feature wars are over, there will be a small number of top writers on Substack or Facebook. There won't be much room for talent and influencers to rise up. These tools could be a great growth opportunity for enterprises. Are these enough to keep technology in the game? Perhaps in two weeks we will be well-aware.From the Gillmor Gang Newsletter____________The Gillmor Gang Frank Radice and Michael Markman, Keith Teare and Denis Pombriant are among the guests. Recorded live Friday July 23, 2021.Tina Chase Gillmor produced and directed the film @tinagillmor@fradice, @mickeleh and @denispombriant are @kteare, @brentleary and @stevegillmor @gillmorgangSubscribe to the Gillmor Gang Newsletter, and join the backchannel on Telegram.The Gillmor Gang on Facebook, and here's our sister show G3
