Are we the cutting edge?

While watching TV, I saw this ad from Cisco, who makes the switches that run the Internet. They were pushing just in time convergence: they had an add where a inventor makes a prototype of a skateboard and users use it and give him instant feedback via IP phones that have video camera's in them. The inventor continually improves his prototype using their help until its "perfect"! It was a very geeky ad that I am guessing went over the heads of lots of people. What I found interesting is that it requires the kind of media savvy that we are learning in the program.
At the same time my buddy mentioned that while there are tons of videos now on the net, must of them suck. He was arguing that making media by the masses dumbs down the quality. I tend to think my buddy missed the point: every time you make the bar easier for the masses, you get more content for free. Now there will be a lot of junk out there, but there also will be a lot of interesting or important content (see Rodney King, etc.). What do you all think, and how do we make sure the quality stays high as the quantity jumps?