To me, the article about M dot Strange illustrates nicely the sea change that’s currently going on in regards to mass media outlets. The old standard of “All the News that’s Fit to Print” is becoming less and less accurate and relevant. It matters less and less every day what the New York Times thinks is a story is worth printing. There are tons of other huge, “respectable” newspapers that might be willing to print something that the New York Times doesn’t see “fit.” Even if no traditionally “respectable” newspapers are willing to research and print an article, there are more and more ways to publish your own news or opinions, often (and with increasing frequency) on a wide-reaching scale.

Of course, this doesn’t just go for newspapers. Traditional Hollywood Blockbusters aren’t the only way for directors, producers, writers, and actors to gain mass appeal and large salaries any more. As shown here with M dot Strange, web-based outlets like YouTube are becoming more and more popular – not to mention more and more “respectable” – as legitimate ways for people to get their creative ideas and social commentary out to large audiences, all while staying within a fairly small budget.

Though I haven’t seen “We Are the Strange,” based in the article’s description, it clearly draws heavily from a wide variety of popular culture icons and media techniques. This, combined with the fact that M dot Strange’s project was able to create such a following through YouTube, illustrates how saturated our world is with media influences. It is exactly by utilizing this saturation that things like M dot Strange’s project can be so successful.

As shown in the article, it is clear that M dot Strange was able to utilize the strengths of the media he had chosen to create a community of people who felt invested in his project. It was through this community building that he was able to create an invested fan base and find such success with his project.

This way in which M dot Strange was able to build a community and therefore create a successful project is a good illustration of how the concept of “respectable” news (and cultural commentary, opinion-based work, etc) sources is drastically changing. When the New York Times came up with their “All the News that’s Fit to Print” tagline, people were much more interested in what “experts” had to say about things. This “expert” opinion mattered so much more because it was assumed by the public that in order to get to a high, decision-making position in a company like the New York Times, a person would have to be very well-versed and deserving of the position. Now, however, since anyone can post anything on YouTube or on their personal blogs or websites, legitimacy and respectability lie much more in mass response to news (or commentary), as opposed to mass publication of news (or commentary).

Publishing to a wide audience is becoming easier and easier as our world is becoming more and more media saturated. However, since there are more and more sources available, gaining the trust and respect of a large audience is getting harder and harder. It will be interesting to see where we get our news and cultural information / commentary from as this process continues…