Clouds slowly rolling over mainstream media

Unless you’re observing, fully present in the moment, and keenly focused on unfolding events, it’s amazing what is missed. If you’re not watching for the signs that are signaling the shift from mainstream media to the internet, you’ll certainly miss seeing them and there was a whopper of one today.

When I shot the photo above, I was standing on the end of a dock at my buddy Eric’s cabin in northern Minnesota. I’d come down before dawn as others slumbered, to see if I could be in the moment and take some peaceful, serene pictures and finally see if it was the eye of the photographer vs. the quality of the gear that made the difference in shots (yeah…I learned that good photographers can shoot with a disposable camera and get great shots!). As the clouds slowly appeared and covered up the morning sunrise, it was almost amusing how — had I not been right there watching it unfold — I would’ve been sitting with a newspaper and a bowl of Cheerio’s in the cabin oblivious to it.

According to this article in AdAge today (by way of Jeff Jarvis), “It’s a moment that has been anticipated for a decade, but that makes it no less seminal. This is the year, according to Merrill Lynch, the Internet collects more ad dollars than magazines.”

When I took that shot above, there was no breeze to alert me to how fast the clouds were moving. Within what seemed like mere minutes, it was dark as night and the Sun was obliterated in the sky. That’s the danger of disruptive technologies and paradigm shifts on incumbent industries, business models and approaches. If you’re not paying close attention and being totally present and aware, the storm clouds of disruption will roll in and slowly take away your market.