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And there was one more difference: Y2K hippies may have had long hair and reeked of reefer like in '68, but this time, they toted the finest digital cameras and video equipment. And they could tell their story to the world, virtually unfiltered by self-appointed respectable media, over the Web. Those crazy college kids are at it again: Building a culture all their own and making everyone else react to it. One of the most interesting voices of the new Web-enabled college generation is Zoomculture.com, an alternative news and cultural site that came to life amid the Washington demonstrations. The site's creators doled out video equipment to amateur directors on campuses around the country and asked these students to document their journeys -- in D.C. and beyond. MULTITALENTED The "A16 Protest," as the demonstrations' organizers called it in honor of the Apr. 16 date, marked a decisive moment for Zoomculture. An entire channel on the 12-channel site is still dedicated to the protests. Currently, it offers an extensive preview of what's to come: Its official launch is in September. But the protests are only part of the story: Zoomculture.com excels at covering music, comedy, and xtreme sports, especially mountain climbing. My only concern is that serious topics like activism and politics might get lost and look misplaced among these other channels. Its MTV-like coverage of spring break in Cancun, for example, is just as dumb and just as overdone as similar stuff is on MTV. As students head back to campus, they're being served by a variety of micromedia, of which Zoomculture is among the forerunners. But it's trying to be all things to all people -- from 20/20 to Comedy Central, and that's hard to do. As a result, the content producers blur the line between news and entertainment, a potentially dangerous practice. But as young people turn to the Web for guidance in their social and political lives, these media could also become a key for marketers aiming at youth. EDGY STYLE. The site's music channel is central to Zoomculture's hopes of becoming what cofounder Dirk Wilcox calls "a place for undiscovered genius." A colorful and hypnotic rap video called Success, performed by the unknown group Kaze, is proof that true artists just might live within Zoomculture. The group's raw, edgy style takes you back to old-school rappers like the Sugar Hill Gang. In addition, unknown artists who hail from rock, heavy metal, and folk are featured on the site, which is refreshing at a time when prepackaged rock stars rule radio and television. Truly, the only thing missing from the music channel is sugary boy-band pop. I guess I'll just have to continue to rely on MTV for my daily dose of 'NSYNC's Bye, Bye, Bye. While the music exhilarated me, Zoomculture's finest quality is its good intent. The site is offering a virtually unfiltered medium for young people who normally never would get heard. In that sense, it's a success even before its official launch date. After all, footage from student directors already appears on the preview site's 12 channels. And these directors turn to aspiring comedians, actors, and musicians, all of whom gain a bit of notoriety. But lofty idealism and amateur entertainers do not make for a profitable business. The question remains: Can Zoomculture capture a large enough audience to remain afloat? Though the majority of American youth remains unaware of Zoomculture now, the future may turn out differently. Traces of MTV, the self-proclaimed arbiter of coolness, appear frequently on the site. The site mimics the "real-world" programming invented by MTV back in 1992, even with the very concept of having amateur directors tape the real-life happenings of their friends. In fact, the site's creators hope the Web is only the beginning for them -- they would like to use Zoomculture as a launch pad into the world of cable television. FOOLS IN HEAT. But that inane footage from spring break 2000, which made college students look like drunken fools in heat, does nothing to improve on the uninspired spring-break coverage that MTV has broadcast for years. This impersonation is where Zoomculture might find itself in hot water. Sure, America's youth are always interested in debauchery and probably will flock to spring-break programming, both on MTV and Zoomculture. But if Zoomculture wants to be taken seriously as a resource for activists, then becoming an MTV sell-out could alienate its audience. Being both serious and frivolous is a tough act to pull off. While the creators deny that MTV is their competition, users will immediately notice the similarities. For now, the site actually outdoes MTV in the most ironic of places -- the music channel. While MTV is airing The Real World over and over again, Zoomculture has a channel dedicated to the art of making video. I bet no one at MTV thought of that. And with talented acts like Kaze airing their videos on Zoomculture, the site could revitalize the music-video market that MTV created. Overall, Zoomculture certainly puts up a good fight against MTV. The site's other competitors include fraternities and sororities, political activists, and athletic organizations on campuses across the country that were dissatisfied with mainstream media and retaliated by handcrafting Web sites. PROPS FROM THE PEEPS. How does Zoomculture measure up? Well, if you ask me, Zoomculture has them all beat. Then again, their competitors include jocks and frat boys, hardly the genius behind alternative media on college campuses. But more quickly than hippies turned into yuppies, alternative MTV turned mainstream sell-out. And Zoomculture runs the same risk. The true secret to the site's success is the understanding of what every young person wants -- a voice. A couple of months out of college, I'm still struggling to get someone -- anyone at all -- to pay the slightest bit of attention to what I have to say. At Zoomculture, I found artists, poets, musicians, directors, and athletes -- all from my peer group. For that, Zoomculture deserves, in my generation's lingo, props from the peeps (that's proper respect from the people, papa). If the creators maintain garage-band values, even after they become rock stars, then Zoomculture.com has a good chance to become a medium of choice for thoughtful young people. Francesca Di Meglio assists in covering business schools for Business Week in New York |
