One possible future of news as a commodity is hyperlocal information — the sort of thing that’s already becoming popularized by services like Yelp, whose incarnation as an iPhone app offers directions to nearby restaurants and services, complete with with user reviews.
A subscriber to a location-based news service might, for instance, be able to point a mobile phone at a building and instantly have access to its news history, its architectural background, profiles and political donation records of the people who live or work there. Imagine hearing a jackhammer and being able to determine at the touch of a button what’s being built or demolished, who owns the property, and how long the noise is going to go on.
All that information is still going to be free on the Web, of course — but what hyperlocal news subscribers would be paying for is having the information know where they are. Within a few years, the economics of mobile news could mean that you can find out what’s happening on the other side of the world for free, but pay to understand what’s happening just around the corner.
Parole Fatti Pensieri