Less about media, more about communication

I just guest posted today over at Authenticities, the blog for Edelman Digital (my employer). It’s something I’m proud of, but a little more about communication than media, so I won’t put it all here. However, it was a good jaunt through that history as I inch toward understanding Google Wave:

…While nearly instantaneous from a reaction standpoint, social media is still generally anchored by the history that forces us to look at communicating as the gerund that it is. Even Twitter, the shiniest among the digital channels of communication – and each of its footprints on global events – is stuck on a timeline, and still depends on an action. Each Tweet is just a passing thought until actually tweeted, and not until the moment someone presses update can those 140 characters actually be considered communication.

Ultimately, conversation is the process, not a tangible result. Shots Heard ‘round the World – whether starting revolutions in Massachusetts or winning pennants in Manhattan – have always needed to be shot (or pitched) to be heard.

For what baseball and revolutions – plus Star Wars - have to do with Google Wave, give this a read.