How Web Video Is Igniting a Massive Cycle of Innovation

[Commentary] The rise of online video could turn out to be as significant as the invention of print. Because hidden among all the cute kittens and pirated TV shows, online video is driving astonishing innovation in thousands of different fields ranging from the ultra-niche to the sharing of truly world-changing ideas.

Contrary to the romantic myth, innovation doesn't usually come from lone geniuses and their eureka moments. It emerges when groups of people spark off each other. One of the most significant aspects of the web is that it has brought together vastly larger groups than ever before in history, and thereby sparked massive new types of innovation. Dig under the surface of today's visual web, and you'll see an explosion of grassroots-driven innovation and experimentation everywhere you look, both trivial and epic.

[Chris Anderson is Curator of TED Conference]