I recently visited my local bookstore and saw a title that offended me to the core: The Cult of the Amateur: How blogs, MySpace, YouTube, and the rest of today's user-generated media are destroying our economy, our culture, and our values by Andrew Keen. I was going to do a little research on Keen to gain some insight into who he is, as I’d never heard of him, but the info on Wikipedia leads me to think he isn’t worth any effort. See for yourself, he's truly uninteresting. Also, I think the reviews posted by readers on Amazon do a better job then I could at defining the many flaws in Keen’s theories.
The internet fascinated me from our very first introduction back in the early ‘90s because it provided new opportunities for self expression. Suddenly there was this tool that allowed me to connect, build a peer group, express my thoughts, and read from a fresh perspective. Blogs are powerful and have led me to support the online community in any way I can. I’ve worked in various roles, in an array of capacities, all in hopes to learn everything I can about the platforms that cultivate freedom of expression. I believe that every single person deserves an opportunity to express themselves and experience the powerful self-esteem boost by attracting a following.
On the flip side, it’s quite flattering to be considered such a threat by someone like Keen. I don’t think he’s an elitist as he claimed on the Colbert Report, instead I’d say that he’s scared of being seen as something of a charlatan. In my experience, there is no such thing as a professional artist. There are commercial artists, but that isn’t the same thing. To say that one person has value because they generate revenue and another does not because they share their work for free is ignorant to say the very least. I don't believe earning money equates to having talent.
There are lots of wonderful books out there regarding modern technologies and their effect on our culture. Understanding web 2.0 and the tapestry created by its many collaborators will perhaps reveal a more realistic view on where we're headed, check out: Rise of the Creative Class by Richard Florida, The Wisdom of Crowds by James Surowiecki, Groundswell by Charlene Li, Here Comes Everybody by Clay Skirky, Small is the New Big by Seth Godin.
A final thought to consider is the historical legacy of self publishing. For example, Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass was published in 1855 and continues to have a profound effect on the American psyche. I would assert that self publishing is as vital to Democracy as voting. It would be interesting to know what Whitman would do if he were alive today. I think he'd be extremely active on Twitter. Being able to communicate and provide unique personal insight is not new and could not possibly destroy a culture that is founded on individual freedoms and self expression. More recently Iran and South Korea are able to communicate with people outside of the country because of social media. More and more technology can go where 'professionals' can not lending to a truly independent voice corresponding what is really happening on the ground.
Am I a feminist?
On Sunday, I returned from SXSW. I’d never attended before and it blew my mind. I stayed for 10 days, and by the end felt like my brain had been processed through a meat grinder and my liver was floating in a sea of beer and vodka; in fact, I’m still sweating pure liquor. My yoga class was brutal yesterday.
Anyway, the interactive portion was truly brilliant. I’ve attended several conferences in Toronto, and found little nuggets of interesting insights, but the speakers at SXSW were exceptional. My only disappointment was with the majority of the panel discussions. At times the conversations came off as ego stroking and less about useful insights. That said, there was one panel that did affect me because of the context of the discussion. The panel was titled, Everything I Needed to Know about the Web I Learned from Feminism, and consisted of 4 females discussing their views on how feminists are persecuted for their beliefs online.
First off, as with most panels, I felt the title was extremely misleading. The discussion did not address what principles from feminism related to the web, but instead what I observed was a reinterpreting of their experiences with aggressive comments as attacks to their feminist ideology. Fair enough, but this is, in part, why I have a hard time with contemporary feminist views. I dig the philosophy of feminism. I really enjoy reading books by Gloria Steinem and Naomi Wolf, but I’m not sure that I fit in with the feminist crowd of today. I don’t entirely care if someone has misogynistic views; in fact, there are plenty of times when I use this character flaw to my own benefit. The blonde stereotype is alive and well and doesn’t apply only in the context of sexist men.
To me, hurtful or sexist comments are a situation when we need to step back and ask ourselves what is a reasonable expectation. If I allowed myself to feel angry and persecuted every time I felt I was treated in a sexist manner I'd spend most of my energy on situations that are outside of my control. Also, I don't think we need a society of politically correct robots. While no one deserves to be singled out or mistreated for any reason there needs to be open dialogue. Tolerance is not a one-sided action. At this stage of the game the issues remain big picture issues like seeing more females in politics vs. expending ourselves and our resources on discussions about nasty comments or off-hand remarks.
At the end of the panel I went up to a woman who had raised her hand and asked for help with her sexist co-workers. None of the panel had much to say. They basically were like, “don’t let those bastards beat you down sister!” I told her that she should address the issue with HR as sexism has been illegal for 20 years or more. She wasn’t very friendly this woman, and felt compelled to list all the places she’d worked and how much professional experience she had, and went on and on about how unique and complex her working environment is. She wasn't listening to me and didn’t want my help. Without a thought she was essentially attempting to put me back in my place as a dim blonde with no authority on the matter.
And as to men bashing women online, I don’t agree with the panels’ assumption that it is an attack on their principals. I think it’s more like anonymous online users who are bored and know an easy target when they see it. Once a bully knows what buttons to press he/she will go to the limit with it. Or maybe it's just like being in the backseat with your little brother as kids. Remember when he purposefully tried to annoy you by reaching into your personal space; hovering his finger inches from your face. Why react the same way now that you did back then? Just ignore him and soon enough he'll find some new way to get on your nerves.
Anyway, the interactive portion was truly brilliant. I’ve attended several conferences in Toronto, and found little nuggets of interesting insights, but the speakers at SXSW were exceptional. My only disappointment was with the majority of the panel discussions. At times the conversations came off as ego stroking and less about useful insights. That said, there was one panel that did affect me because of the context of the discussion. The panel was titled, Everything I Needed to Know about the Web I Learned from Feminism, and consisted of 4 females discussing their views on how feminists are persecuted for their beliefs online.
First off, as with most panels, I felt the title was extremely misleading. The discussion did not address what principles from feminism related to the web, but instead what I observed was a reinterpreting of their experiences with aggressive comments as attacks to their feminist ideology. Fair enough, but this is, in part, why I have a hard time with contemporary feminist views. I dig the philosophy of feminism. I really enjoy reading books by Gloria Steinem and Naomi Wolf, but I’m not sure that I fit in with the feminist crowd of today. I don’t entirely care if someone has misogynistic views; in fact, there are plenty of times when I use this character flaw to my own benefit. The blonde stereotype is alive and well and doesn’t apply only in the context of sexist men.
To me, hurtful or sexist comments are a situation when we need to step back and ask ourselves what is a reasonable expectation. If I allowed myself to feel angry and persecuted every time I felt I was treated in a sexist manner I'd spend most of my energy on situations that are outside of my control. Also, I don't think we need a society of politically correct robots. While no one deserves to be singled out or mistreated for any reason there needs to be open dialogue. Tolerance is not a one-sided action. At this stage of the game the issues remain big picture issues like seeing more females in politics vs. expending ourselves and our resources on discussions about nasty comments or off-hand remarks.
At the end of the panel I went up to a woman who had raised her hand and asked for help with her sexist co-workers. None of the panel had much to say. They basically were like, “don’t let those bastards beat you down sister!” I told her that she should address the issue with HR as sexism has been illegal for 20 years or more. She wasn’t very friendly this woman, and felt compelled to list all the places she’d worked and how much professional experience she had, and went on and on about how unique and complex her working environment is. She wasn't listening to me and didn’t want my help. Without a thought she was essentially attempting to put me back in my place as a dim blonde with no authority on the matter.
And as to men bashing women online, I don’t agree with the panels’ assumption that it is an attack on their principals. I think it’s more like anonymous online users who are bored and know an easy target when they see it. Once a bully knows what buttons to press he/she will go to the limit with it. Or maybe it's just like being in the backseat with your little brother as kids. Remember when he purposefully tried to annoy you by reaching into your personal space; hovering his finger inches from your face. Why react the same way now that you did back then? Just ignore him and soon enough he'll find some new way to get on your nerves.
Don't let the haters get the better of you.
Lee Stranahan interviewing Kevin Smith conveys an insightful perspective that everyone participating online should keep in mind. Allowing every negative comment or post to cloud your better judgement is not productive and a waste of your time. Check it out!
Welcome to my blog.
I'm starting a post that I know I will never finish. The nature of it is not something that can be concisely articulated into a neat and tidy essay, but I can express the shape of the idea here; which is finding the strength to be authentic.
Instead the modern landscape is filled with brands and advertisements and pressure to conform to a socioeconomic sect in order for businesses to analyze specific consumer demographics. This can't be the free society envisioned by the founding fathers. Thoreau's Civil Disobedience is collecting dust on the shelf of history. The new generation aspires to conform and fears rejection. Very few proudly carry their freak flags in the offline world anymore. It's like there's a spinster librarian hushing everyone to be quiet. "Shhh - share your opinion elsewhere. Aren't there online places for your kind?" it seems to me that the worst thing is being thought of as strange or weird. Why is that? Or more importantly, why do we care? Who said everyone has to like and accept us? Maybe this is the dark side of too much political correctness.
Before my rant gets misinterpreted as propaganda or conspiracy theory I'll stop and go back to the premise of this blog. The role of social media in my life and why I think it has importance. I recently read Clay Shirky's book Here Comes Everybody, in it Clay gives a profound overview of the current online landscape and presents examples of how people are organizing and effecting change by their participation on social media platforms; such as: blogs, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, etc.
Brands and consumer focused businesses need to remember that a consumer is not a faceless mindless entity in which to understand through statistics and dogmatic primitive analysis. The beauty and purpose of social media is to release all of us from the chains of categorization and the simplistic roles they evoke. Advertising and marketing no longer needs to be the likened to the pastor delivering a sermon, but rather a country fair where wares are on display peddled by trustworthy friends of the community.
Instead the modern landscape is filled with brands and advertisements and pressure to conform to a socioeconomic sect in order for businesses to analyze specific consumer demographics. This can't be the free society envisioned by the founding fathers. Thoreau's Civil Disobedience is collecting dust on the shelf of history. The new generation aspires to conform and fears rejection. Very few proudly carry their freak flags in the offline world anymore. It's like there's a spinster librarian hushing everyone to be quiet. "Shhh - share your opinion elsewhere. Aren't there online places for your kind?" it seems to me that the worst thing is being thought of as strange or weird. Why is that? Or more importantly, why do we care? Who said everyone has to like and accept us? Maybe this is the dark side of too much political correctness.
Before my rant gets misinterpreted as propaganda or conspiracy theory I'll stop and go back to the premise of this blog. The role of social media in my life and why I think it has importance. I recently read Clay Shirky's book Here Comes Everybody, in it Clay gives a profound overview of the current online landscape and presents examples of how people are organizing and effecting change by their participation on social media platforms; such as: blogs, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, etc.
Brands and consumer focused businesses need to remember that a consumer is not a faceless mindless entity in which to understand through statistics and dogmatic primitive analysis. The beauty and purpose of social media is to release all of us from the chains of categorization and the simplistic roles they evoke. Advertising and marketing no longer needs to be the likened to the pastor delivering a sermon, but rather a country fair where wares are on display peddled by trustworthy friends of the community.
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