If you are interested in how the ability to make and publish your own video programming is going to change the media landscape, take 5 minutes to watch this video made by some young people in Atlanta.
If you have ever driven on Atlanta highways, you know that the traffic on the ring roads circling the city are some of the worst in the country. Despite a posted speed limit of 55 mph, traffic routinely moves at speeds up to 80 mph.
This group of young people made their own video of....(gasp!)
Obeying traffic laws!
Oh, the horror! Their video shows just how desperate commuters are to drive over the speed limit, including one incident that could have been a serious accident. But who would have been at fault? They were just driving the speed limit.
It's a great demonstration of the video streaming technology. The video is hosted on Google, and yes, the quality is mediocre. But it really does not affect the message at all, which is that Atlanta's traffic situation is completely out of control.
And it was not one of those breathless six o'clock news stories (...up next, the dangers of dust bunnies and the story of one family's struggle. Could there be dust bunnies in your neighborhood? News Channel 7 investigates because we're on your side!).
People young and old should be telling their own stories in every neighborhood and community in the country, and there should be a community-owned video server so that our stories are not turned into billboards that fill Google's pockets and return nothing to the community.