From Derek Powazek, the guy who wrote Design for Community (the book which got me and Sarah together.
Death to User-Generated Content
Can I make a suggestion? Let's all stop using the phrase “user-generated content.” I'm serious. It's a despicable, terrible term. Let's deconstruct it.
User: One who uses. Like, you know, a junkie.
Generated: Like a generator, engine. Like, you know, a robot.
Content: Something that fills a box. Like, you know, packing peanuts.So what's user-generated content? Junkies robotically filling boxes with packing peanuts. Lovely.
Calling the beautiful, amazing, brilliant things people create online “user-generated content” is like sliding up to your lady, putting your arm around her and whispering, “Hey baby, let's have intercourse.”
UCG or user generated content has always got my back up. But now I know exactly why now. This is perfect Derek, couldn't have said it better and to be honest the phrase Authentic Media isn't bad at all.
Authentic media comes to you unfiltered by the global brands and conglomerates that have taken over the mainstream media. Authentic media is the raw, first-person narrative you can find on blogs and homepages. Authentic media is what happens when the mediators get out of the way and give the mic over to the people who actually have something to say.
The best part about this phrase? It paints the rest of the mediascape as inauthentic. I can live with that.