Discoverability: Audiences in a time of endless choice

One way to think about today's media landscape is as the 'attention olympics'.

It's not always the best or even the first that 'wins', but the players that are able to grab the most attention. I recently saw this line: "On the Internet the reptilian brain gets served first", and while it's not true across the board, there is certainly some truth in the statement.

That which is refreshing about the Internet is also that which is threatening to some. The authentic and the contraband flow throw the same pipes, which means the traditional big players often find themselves vying with the smaller ones online. Competition now comes from all corners. Competition for screen space, and competition for viewers', listeners', and readers' attention.

Search and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) used to be the primary ways things rose to the surface online. Then came curation and aggregation. Social added another dimension to an already complex model of production and distribution.

So how do audiences navigate through the maze? 

The term being used in some circles to refer to the challenges inherent in a saturated media environment is Discoverability. A report I worked on released earlier this week offers some perspectives. 

Click here to read the full report, entitled "Discoverability: Toward A Common Frame Of Reference, Part 2 The Audience Journey".