Media ==> Invisible

If Shirky is right, and we’re headed to a period where social media tools like YouTube, Flickr, and social networks like Facebook become “invisible,” what’s the impact on things you spend money on as consumers? Books? Movies? Music?


If social media were to become invisible people would rely less on things like books, movies, and music. There are websites that are able to take the place of all of these things currently but many people are still not used to finding and taking advantage of these resources. The social media tools have not yet crossed over into the realm of invisible, they still take the form of normal, to use Shirky's words. Eventually these tools will become second nature, and they will not be lived without. According to Shirky this is the direction that we are headed in. 
If this were to happen economics would have to change. Stores would not be able to sell books, movies, and music as they once could. These media items would be, most likely, electronic. There is evidence of this transition today. Once things had to be written on paper to be transported. Later things could be typed and put on a large disc, smaller disc, and finally cds. Flash drives later were used, then attachments to emails. Now, today using google docs and other sites, typed information can simply be accessed and edited with the correct password. 
This concept is also true for the three forms of media listed above. Books, movies, and music can all be downloaded online as computer files and saved to a hard drive. This is already happening. iTunes allows people to download these things without ever obtaining a physical copy. This cuts down on production costs and allows these items to purchased at a slightly less expensive rate. Eventually, with the social media sites becoming invisible the forms of media will become easier to obtain at cheaper costs and the more expensive physical copies will become obsolete or collectors items. Eventually the only obvious way to do things could become online through social networks.
Doing things through social networks will also cause one of two things to happen. Media will become extremely well put together, well sung, or well written. More people will be talking in larger forums, as the internet provides, about the media, and therefore critique more harshly than ever before. Things will need to be near perfect to become "famous." This may also take place because of sheer amount of competition. More competition means it must be better to stand out among the rest in its' genre.