Eddie Harran
Digital Strategist, Freelance

Written by Cail Rayment on 2008-10-24

What do you see happening in the next five years in the New Media industry?

I guess I’m a bit biased because I live and breathe digital so I have a certain perspective. I believe digital is really going to change the nature of all the media industries. So for example, TV with Digital TV; that’s going to change how we engage with television. Radio; digital radio is coming out in a few years I believe. Then you’ve got the mobile space; Australia is so far behind in the mobile space. You look at somewhere like Japan, the way they use mobile technology is incredible. Think about advertising, now with Digital Technology, lets say you have a digital billboard that can change what it displays depending on what time it is and who is looking at it. That stuff we only saw in movies years ago but it is reality now. The biggest challenge is that radio people understand radio, advertising people understand radio but they are separate and don’t communicate with each other effectively. Digital will affect them all. The biggest issue is educating these people.

Another issue is user privacy, media outlets having the ability to target exact users needs is both good and bad because there are some ethical issues involved with that and user privacy.

New media is not something that you can’t simply tack on. It needs to be ingrained in the fundamental way that you do things.

What are the biggest challenges you and your organisation face as a member of the Brisbane media community?

The biggest challenge is lack of understanding about what this new digital space is. I think that all media organisations will tell you this. Brisbane is behind Sydney and Melbourne, who are even further behind Asia and Europe. The big challenge is convincing old-fashioned clients that this is the way that things are happening now and what exactly is possible. We grew up with this, so we are digital natives; we engage with the digital space in a completely different way, so there is a challenge to simultaneously bring the digital community up to where it should be internationally but also educating the people who hold the positions of power and who make the decisions.

What are the most important/valuable skills that graduates can bring to your industry?

The landscape is always changing – so the ability to learn quickly on the job is important. A portfolio is good because you have something to show but I think it really ultimately comes down to how much passion and initiative you have.

How would you rate the performance of Brisbane-based media organisations in comparison to other national and international media hubs?

I think that Brisbane is growing, although we are quite behind. Some headquarters of some big digital organisations are based here but I think that pretty much it is just population-based. The more population you have, the more people you have in those industries. We have a smaller market, so we don’t attract the intelligence that Sydney and Melbourne do. But as we grow into a more cosmopolitan city – we’re the closest city to Asia (besides Darwin) – we will adopt more of their technological advances. The long-term goal of the government is to turn Queensland into the smart state, and as more people move into our region, we’ll grow and catch up with the rest of the world. In saying all that, there is a hub of activity and big ideas and people growing in this city – it is just a matter of making those connections.

How has new media such as the Internet and mobile communications revolutionised your workplace?

I find the blurring of professional and personal boundaries is quite interesting. People need to be careful of their online presence and what they post online on, for instance, their Facebook account – a potential employer will check that to find out about you. A Google search on you can be done just like “that” and what they find about your online identity will say a lot about you.

It has revolutionised the workplace in regard to workplace tools. There are a lot of applications and digital information being stored online in ‘the cloud’ rather than in a physical space like it used to be. So it can be accessed from anywhere, from home, from the office, from a mobile device, etc.

Mobile communications has changed connectivity and what we can achieve, however I think we are just scratching the surface in regards to what is possible. These days you don’t even need to attend university to get an education, you can download it from online! MIT have just posted their courses on MIT Open Courseware – so you can download it and access it from all the way over the other side of the world. You don’t even have to pay for it. The internet has made knowledge – and sharing of knowledge – free. The challenge is to develop a model that you can make money from so that it is sustainable.

You studied a Bachelor of Communications at the University of Queensland, did you plan to work in the media industry or were you thrust into it because of these changes in technology?

I guess to be honest I kind of just fell into this space. I didn’t really know (like many graduates) what I wanted to do with my life, and I think that’s okay. There’s too much pressure on graduates to have their career plan mapped out. We live in an age where there are so many options that it’s okay to be clueless, and I still am kind of clueless. But once I was thrust into this, I discovered which space I was into – and that was the social media space.

The end of university is only the beginning of your education. I just think that you learn ten times more when you get out of that ‘study’ context. In reality it comes down to how much initiative you have. My advice to graduates is to just trust your instincts. If you trust them – and don’t be afraid to fail – then you will be fine. Go out there. The more you mess up, the more you will learn, the better you will be.

Where would you like to be placed in 5 years?

In many ways, I’m really an idealist and have a strong ethical conscience with wanting to help the world. The more I get into this digital space, the more I want to be an advocate, and use digital tools to help others and bring social change. The digital world amazes me, especially in how digital convergence is changing media and advertising and billboards, etc., but personally I don’t get any value out of that. I want to do something that has a bigger purpose on a world level. That is the direction that I want to head.

The great thing about digital is here I am, Eddie Harran. And I can talk to gurus around the world on a human-to-human level like that. You are seaminglessly connected with ideas, knowledge and passion with the click of a mouse. You don’t need money to do it. I get so excited. But I get so frustrated at the same time because other people don’t see these opportunities.