Crash! - the influence of everything on everything else

A decade ago, Pierre Bourdieu wrote On Television, where he argued that the fields of journalism and academia are increasingly 'de-autonomised': individual success becoming ever less dependent on the regulations and judgements internal to these professions themselves, and ever more dependent upon those of commerce. Quite so; but de-autonomisation plays both ways - simply playing by the rules of the commercial field is no longer adequate for businesses.

The collision of these previously relatively autonomous fields is fundamental trend in our networked society. Strategy must embrace the impact of interventions from journalists, expert commentators, politicians, activists, and 'influencers' of all stripes.

This means more than PR activity - it demands understanding the rules of the game that define these other professional fields, anticipating further de-autonomisation processes, and learning to operate in the rich hinterlands between traditionally separate fields of endeavour.

Marketing Week 5 June 2008