‘Individuated news’ has arrived. With an array of Internet-driven technologies, consumers can now choose their own mix of news stories, to be delivered to computer screen, palm device or even home printer, complete with discount coupons for local merchants.
Nicholas Negroponte popularlized the “Daily Me” concept way back in 1995 in his little black book “Being Digital.” It has long been possible for anyone to create a personalized newspaper. Presentation options have varied and improved over the past decade, some prettier or more sophisticated than others. But this is hardly a new idea. So why hasn’t it taken off sometime in the past 14 years as the killer app of the digital news era? Because apparently people do not find enough value in it that they are sufficiently motivated to bother setting up such a predictable news feed. Not only that, but people in really competitive fields of endeavor find such services to be dangerous. You see, if you’re in business, you can’t afford to limit your reading to just what you know you want to reader. What you really need to be sure you’re reading is what your competitors are reading, so that they don’t find out something you don’t. The Daily Me, ‘individuated news,’ or whatever you want to call it this time around, doesn’t work.