Hey Sony, Don't Hate The Internet.

By now, most of you have probably heard of the comments heard 'round the internet about Sony's CEO Michael Lynton and the internet regarding piracy. If not, here's the article from the Huffington Post. And here's the points he's made:

"And my point is this: the major content businesses of the world and the most talented creators of that content -- music, newspapers, movies and books -- have all been seriously harmed by the Internet."

"The Internet has brought people with no regard for the intellectual property of others together with a technology that allows them to easily steal that property and sell or give it away to everyone, with little fear of being caught or prosecuted."

This article is just full of great quotes like this sending bloggers, online communities, and other internet enthusiasts into an orbit of anger.
Now, I'm not going to make a rebuttal about all the amazing accomplishments of the internet and how it has helped society because those points are obvious. The real thing that Lynton is angry about is the loss of control of the message.
Here's the thing, Web 1.0 and traditional media was all about one singular message aimed at the masses without any platform for response. Web 2.0 allows consumers to look, click, change, create, connect, and generally make what they want out of what they've seen. In other words, the days where the mass media decided what the message would be and how we would hear it are over.
Does everyone online have "no regard for the intellectual property of others"? No, everyone online has shiny, fun, new tools to communicate with and it's making the former gatekeepers of opinion really mad.
Another point is that people were creating, changing, and responding to content well before the internet. How many times have you doodled a mustache on the model on the front cover of a magazine? Perhaps a small circle of your friends saw it when they came over. I doubt anyone assumed you had produced the front cover photograph. With the internet, individual's networks have gotten larger making some of these content changers pretty popular.
Also, how many times have you borrowed a book to a friend to read? How many dentist's office's stock magazines that hundreds of people read? Is anyone demanding that those people be arrested?
For marketers this presents an interesting opportunity. Whole communities of people talking about / making fun of / mashing up your message? This is a gold mine, not a threat. Sony should find the people who are "pirating" their content and hire them or at least start talking with them.
Lynton should take a note from Abraham Lincoln "I destroy my enemy when I make him my friend."

~ Caitlin McCabe Director of Social Media