The OMMA conference has produced a lot of debate and sharing of what needs to be done in going ahead with the digital video future.
CEO and co-founder Next New Networks, Herb Scannell said, "Today we have an opportunity to create TV all over again."
Scannell added that he believes the three keys to producing online video content are: "authenticity over slick production aesthetics; making media with audiences, rather than media for audiences; and not restricting the free distribution and spread of content."
With the authenticity over slick production, I would agree with that in the sense that people are willing to watch something like that without the absolute highest quality picture or video; YouTube (GOOG) and others have already proven that.
But the idea of what Scannell calls "authenticity" is a somewhat ambiguous. I say that because what one person considers authenticity, another person would call rhetoric or demagoguery.
Michael Moore and his creations are one example of that. Some people, without checking his assertions, take his video in a being authentic. Others say he is a complete hoax and manufactures much of what he puts out.
What I'm saying is authenticity will depend upon the niche you serve. Those who are interested in certain areas of life want you to basically tell them what they want to hear. To them that's authenticity.
The point I'm making is we have to be careful of when we hear the work "authenticity" thrown around. Consumers of content want it, but like everything else, want it on their terms.
If we take authenticity too literal, we could end up putting very factual content online that is very dry and uninteresting.
I'm not talking about lying here. People want authenticity in you. Who you are they want you to remain true to. When you go out of who you are, you lose your authenticity.
Let's use Michael Moore as an example again. If he started to act respectable and put out stuff that was very factual, many of his followers would abandon him immediately. Whether he puts out stuff that is true or not as far as the facts go, doesn't really matter, what matters is that he stay the rebel on the outside stirring up the fire on the inside.
Most people don't take him seriously, but like Paris Hilton, if she were to start wanting to be respected, she would lose the whole persona she's built for herself and nobody would continue to be interested in her. They'd just go on to the next celebrity goof and write about them.
Authenticity is talking about someone being what they represent and staying true to it. Most people aren't going to live like Paris Hilton or think it's even healthy to. But they believe she's authentic in what she represents. That's what's important to fans; not whether what she represents is necessarily right.
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