Saturday, August 24, 2024

DP24010 Social Media Publishing Experimentation V01 240824

 Use this link immediately to see all my LinkedIn Posts for August 2024. 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nGueCmJHTsqMR-Y2uSBLwSf-3Q7WlN2n/view?usp=sharing


I have just spent a very active August 2024 experimenting at publishing posted content through predominantly LinkedIn with some transferred over to Facebook. The subject matter has been varied with it running to 65 individual posts. For each post I have used my standard post unique identifier of “230824-01” with categorisation based upon a 2 tier format of “Major Subject - Minor Subject”. Tagging has been far less structured and I have yet to get my head around how it grows the readership.

The issue of readers focusing predominantly on the latest posts, often referred to as “recency bias,” reflects a broader challenge in the digital information age. This problem can be described in several ways:

1. Recency Over Depth:

        •       Shallow Consumption: Readers may prioritize new content over older, potentially more insightful or in-depth material. This leads to a superficial understanding of topics, as readers might only engage with what’s trending rather than what’s thoroughly researched.

2. Information Overload:

        •       Fleeting Attention: The constant stream of new posts can overwhelm readers, making it difficult for them to focus on or even notice older, valuable content. This contributes to shorter attention spans and a preference for quick, easily digestible information.

3. Echo Chambers:

        •       Narrow Perspectives: When readers consistently consume only the latest content, which often reflects current trends or popular opinions, they may miss out on diverse viewpoints or historical context. This can reinforce existing biases and limit critical thinking.

4. Lost Knowledge:
 
        •       Neglect of Timeless Content: High-quality content that remains relevant over time may be overlooked simply because it’s not recent. Important ideas, lessons, and discussions from the past can become buried under the constant flow of new information, leading to a loss of collective knowledge.

5. Pressure on Content Creators:

        •       Chasing Virality: Content creators may feel pressured to produce frequent, attention-grabbing posts to stay relevant, often at the expense of quality. This can lead to a focus on quantity over quality, as creators cater to algorithms and the demand for new content rather than investing time in producing thoughtful, enduring work.

6. Instant Gratification Culture:

        •       Impatience with Long-Form Content: The preference for the latest posts can discourage readers from engaging with long-form content that requires time and effort to digest. This reinforces a culture of instant gratification, where quick updates are valued more than deep, reflective reading.

Summary:

The problem of readers gravitating only towards the latest posts is a multifaceted issue rooted in the dynamics of digital media consumption. It reflects a broader societal trend towards immediacy and can lead to the neglect of valuable, enduring content. Addressing this issue may involve encouraging more mindful consumption of information, promoting diverse content engagement, and recognizing the value of timeless knowledge in a fast-paced world.

This has resulted in my decision here to publish this Table of Posts made in August 2024 is an attempt to get readers to see at a higher level what has been posted so they can look back over to see if they have missed anything that may interest them. Whilst the Social Media developers do not want to complicate their posting technologies it is obvious if they want to encourage more than just fleeting attention and a more considered reading activity they are going to have to build in some more structured labelling of content and feedback based upon this labelling. They are going down the route of just using AI technology to achieve these objectives. Unfortunately this can lead to an increasing narrowing of the scope whereas the so call serendipity moments we as humans most enjoy get lost.  

 

 

 

Significantly I have continued to experiment with linking back from LinkedIn to Blogspot to Google Drive to share books destined for landfill. Breaking the Copyright Laws remains a major concern so many books that I know are headed for landfill I will not share due to concerns over copyright. Where I have doubts I am extra cautious and if I do go ahead  add a isclaimer and agree to immediate removal if a copyright owner objects. This has happened on one occasion so far. Unfortunately, publishers are increasingly not responding to my requests for approval or providing me with  contact details of their author or more often these days the heirs to the author’s intellectual properties be they books or images.

This article below describes the problem of copyright law leading to the permanent loss of many books from society. This loss is happening at a huge rate with literally tons of books by weight being destroyed daily with no Government initiatives in place to avoid this loss. It is a historical catastrophe due to the digital revolution now taking place with most books being removed from our society with by 2030 very few books apart from paperback fiction existing. Even in charity shops the trend is to only resell fiction paperbacks with all other non- fiction books going to landfill. This is being based upon current customer demand even in the second hand cheap marketplace.

This is an interesting write up on the copyright issue.

Copyright Laws are intended to protect the intellectual property rights of authors and creators, ensuring that they receive recognition and compensation for their work. However, these laws can sometimes have the unintended consequence of restricting access to certain books, especially when those books are out of print or no longer commercially viable.

Key Issues Leading to Potential Loss of Books:

        1.      Orphan Works:
        •       Orphan works are books whose copyright holders cannot be located or identified. Because no one can give permission to reproduce or distribute these works, they often remain inaccessible, potentially leading to their loss.
        2.      Out-of-Print Books:
        •       When books go out of print, they are often no longer available for purchase, yet they remain under copyright protection. This limits their distribution and can lead to them being forgotten or even destroyed when physical copies deteriorate or are discarded.
        3.      Extended Copyright Terms:
        •       The extension of copyright terms (often lasting the lifetime of the author plus 70 years or more) means that books remain under copyright for a very long time, during which they cannot legally be reproduced or shared without permission. This long period of protection can hinder access to older works that are no longer commercially viable but still culturally or educationally important.
        4.      Libraries and Archives:
        •       Libraries and archives may face restrictions when digitizing and sharing older works that are still under copyright, even if those works are not available elsewhere. This can lead to a situation where books are effectively “lost” because they cannot be legally preserved or shared in digital form.
        5.      Destruction of Unsold Books:
        •       Publishers sometimes destroy unsold books to save on storage costs, especially if the books are not generating revenue. Copyright laws can prevent these books from being redistributed or archived, leading to their permanent loss.

Potential Solutions:

        1.      Fair Use and Educational Exceptions:
        •       Expanding fair use provisions and educational exceptions could allow for the preservation and sharing of books that are no longer commercially available but still hold cultural or educational value.
        2.      Orphan Works Legislation:
        •       Implementing legislation that allows for the use of orphan works under certain conditions could help prevent these works from being lost to time.
        3.      Digitization Initiatives:
        •       Efforts like the Internet Archive or Google’s book digitisation project aim to preserve books by digitizing them. However, these initiatives often face legal challenges due to copyright restrictions.
        4.      Revisiting Copyright Duration:
        •       Some advocates argue for a shorter copyright duration, especially for works that are no longer commercially exploited, to allow for earlier entry into the public domain where they can be freely accessed and preserved.
        5.      Controlled Digital Lending (CDL):
        •       CDL is a practice where libraries lend out digital copies of physical books they own, with the idea that they lend one copy for each physical book they have. This method is still legally contested but offers a potential solution for accessing out-of-print books.

Conclusion:

While copyright laws are essential for protecting creators, they can also lead to the loss of books that might otherwise be preserved and shared. Balancing the protection of authors’ rights with the need for cultural preservation and access to knowledge is a complex issue that continues to evolve as society grapples with the implications of long-term copyright protection.


 

 

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