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A new business model for dissident media:
The digital age has disrupted legacy media models. As mainstream advertisers become more politicized and censorious, any "dissident" views are increasingly punished.
Yet such media projects can be more valuable than ever. 1/11
The digital age has disrupted legacy media models. As mainstream advertisers become more politicized and censorious, any "dissident" views are increasingly punished.
Yet such media projects can be more valuable than ever. 1/11
The suppression of such views—any outside the ever-narrower bounds of woke political correctness—is not limited to mainstream media. These views are increasingly self-censored or punished in workplaces, schools, and social settings. 2/11
Institutions and activities that once connected people no longer suffice for projects where alignment around an independent point of view (POV) matters. Without alternatives, the connections that predicate such projects simply will not occur. 3/11
Yet the share of orgs & companies that have dogmatically embraced this "politically correct" POV far exceeds the public's embrace of those views. This creates attractive opportunities to address an underserved market by explicitly embracing other POVs. 4/11
Thus, just as demand for dissident POV-focused projects and businesses grows, the signals necessary to bring together aligned people to launch them are scarce. 5/11
A media project expressing a distinct POV can fill this void. By providing differentiated content, it can reach large numbers of people who share its POV. By leveraging these connections, it can provide additional value to its audience. 6/11
The more traditional way is by offering advertisements of particular interest to its audience—eg for a product whose values align with their views. This improves on generic internet ads.
But the real opportunity may come from facilitating much higher value connections. 7/11
But the real opportunity may come from facilitating much higher value connections. 7/11
By articulated a clear and differentiated POV, a publisher can connect with followers who (often privately) share these views. Profiles that add skillsets and passions can be invaluable for arranging high-value transactions or projects dependent on POV alignment. 8/11
A POV-focused media outlet could catalyze a new project by publishing a call to action—eg a critique of the status quo and vision of an alternative—to draw interest from aligned stakeholders (eg investors/founders/early customers) and discretely connect them. 9/10
As the gatekeepers of professional discourse and networks grow more politicized and censorious, the risk is that independent thinkers become atomized. Because new media outlets can reach such people and bring them together, they can provide a viable alternative. 10/11
In sum, when certain POV signals are scarce, they can offer high returns. A media outlet is uniquely positioned to broadcast such views, establish relationships with followers who ordinarily keep these views private, and broker high-value connections between them. 11/11
