Even more frightening to the old media, the Web has the power to change the relationship between creator and viewer in ways we are just beginning to understand. The time frame between initial development and eventual distribution has been compressed, and feedback from the audience is now immediate. It's not only possible that a single artist working in a garret can create a web site seen by millions in a short period of time, it's already happening. Hamster Dance (while not using Flash) is not only constantly sold out of merchandise, it has also fostered literally hundreds of imitators - there's even a web site devoted to listing over 200 other dancing sites ( Animated Dancing Pages ).

Disintermediation is rampant: the consumer can see nearly anything she wants, virtually whenever she wants it. My "create it yourself" whim from a few years ago is now a reality - see WhirlGirl - and the number of animation projects out there on the Web is astounding, from weirdly interactive ( Spumco ) to pure scatological not-for-the-kids entertainment ( Eggtoons). It is now evident even to the naysayers that the Web is far more efficient at delivering a multitude of choices than any distribution medium in use up to this time.

This process has just started; in an analogy using TV terms, and despite the plethora of sites out there on the Web, we're still in the early 1950s. For those of you who don't remember, that was a time of small black & white screens, limited choices, and bad reception. Compare that with where TV is now, and you'll have an idea of the scope of changes to come in the new media.

Buzz Potamkin is an award-winning independent producer, best known for The Berenstain Bears and Dr. Seuss. Before he escaped L.A. for New York, he had been President of Southern Star Prods. and also Executive Vice President of a major cartoon studio. In the Internet world, he is on the Board of Directors of Visionary Media, the creators of WhirlGirl.