Zero-sum game for attention

So how many new choices did we really get?

Long tail has a long tail effect on media studies. I heard people using this theory to explain the future of newspaper in the media market. Anderson's version has realistic connotation because it provides practical examples and recommendations.

Rule 1: Make everything available.
Rule 3: Help me find it. (Let's forget rule 2)

Rule 3 is a logical outcome of Rule 1. You have too many choices, you need someone to sort it out.

But at the same time they are contradictory. Rule 1 seems democratic. Rule 3 seems kinda tricky. If you influence someone to make a choice, is it really a free choice?

Rule 1 is what makes the new media different from the old mass media. The old media deducted the number of shopping list. The new media adds to the shopping list. But as for Rule 3, it's the same old game. The old and new media all influence the audience to make decision. When you do information search or shop for DVD's, do you go through all the pages?

There may be infinite numbers of choice out there. But the numbers we actually pay attention to are finite. Selecting one thing means discarding the other. I think influencing that selection is the source of power of media, whether it's new or old.