The half-life of media

The 'half-life of media' is defined as the amount of time it takes for a medium to lose half its influence (analogy with radioactivity).

The half-life of media

Joe Mandese

For some time now I've been cultivating a theory I call 'the half-life of media'. And no, contrary to recent columns waxing about the influence of the internet, it has nothing to do with popular virtual community Second Life. It has to do with the decay of media influence. In science, the term half-life is used to describe the process by which radioactive matter decays. Specifically, it is the amount of time required for a radioactive isotope to lose half its radioactivity. It is how scientists carbon-date the age of ancient objects, by estimating...

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