For the uninitiated, “groupthink” is a term coined the 70′s that the old and crotchety have begun attacking the internet geneartion with. The argument is that as communication networks have grown, teenagers and young people rely on the opinions of others to form their own identity and stifles the creation of truly unique thought.
However, most would do well to remember Steven Johnson’s national bestseller “Everything Bad is Good For You”, which argued for the merits of bad habits everywhere. Videogames, Television, almost nothing was out of bounds. Although there was a lot of criticism against the book, the lesson learned was that for every bad habit that takes away from the old way of doing things, a new skill is learned.
As for groupthink, what from outside seems to be an increase in intellectual internet-based collectvism doesn’t take into account the huge percentage of people who are not participating but watching and learning the difference between genuine ideas and agenda-motivated ideological pushing.
Or put simply,
because we are connected and constantly observed and aggregated, the truly talented and special know how to stand out and be an individual.
So the next time you hear someone bemoan the loss of original creative thought, don’t be afraid to feel a little entitled to feeling part of something new. A generation so aware of its collectivism that we’ve learned to discern out the real gems of humanity. And more cat videos than you could shake a stick at.
However I think it’s important to note that Ted Stevens was a part of a Government board in charge of regulating the internet, something that doesn’t phase myself in the least. No matter what block the government comes up with, nerds will find a way around it, as has been demonstrated in China.
No, what really truly scares me are the companies who provide our “supply” of internet, such as Time Warner and Cox Cable. Right now it is profitable to keep a monthly based unlimited acces subscription model for the internet, but with our without government access there’s not much from keeping companies from changing their policies for allowing access for the internet.
What if companies started charging per page refresh for internet users or search hit for companies being hosted on the internet? Then any exploding phenomenon would have to be filtered through a site with premium access such as reddit or digg, restricting access to independent voices using the internet as a tool for free speech.
I don’t mean to be unnesscesarily paranoid, but it’s just food for thought to keep in mind. Instead of being afraid of the government getting involved and runing the internet, perhaps we should welcome government involvement as long as it protects consumers from internet providers limiting access to the information superhighway.
With the explosion of information noise that came with the twitterlution, it can be easy to be cynical with the concept of User Generated Content. The swarms of people tweeting off twitter trends acts as an effective strem of popular information, but one could argue this is just an extension of community gossip chains, just reinvented in a 2.0 world.
However, it’s when outstanding individuals get involved and use twitter as a tool to interact with people that twitter actually acts like the revolution it promised. [More]
… is called Google Analytics and it is BRILLIANT. If you thought scrolling through street views in Google Maps is addictive (and it is) then you will love watching your blog/website grow from a blip to an internet powerhouse.
If I may cater towards my generation, think of it like Pokemon. If you’ve started a website (such as the fantastic Gainesvillains.com), think of Google Analytics of your Pokedex. It checks who is using your website, who is leaving your website and who is actually converting to use your service.
For Example, Gainesvillains’ main hook is that they will be publishing a mixtape every week for download. With analytics they can easily tell who is coming to the site, who is commenting, who is subscribing to RSS feeds and, most importantly, who is downloading the mix tape.
SO, if you have a website, get cracking on using it otherwise you’ll be stuck in the dark while all of the pokemon trainers are out power-levelling their Lickitungs to beat the elite four.
…or something like that.
Watchers of the annual American traditional “Super Bowl” don’t usually include shaggy twenty-somethings, but at this point I’m not sure these things even matter.
Yes I am talking about the Arcade Fire scoring the NFL commercial during the Super Bowl tonight.
Wake up, indeed.
I think what’s most telling is that none of my music snob friends were in the least bothered, myself included, which can all be attributed to Google.
In a Google age, there really can’t be music that is exclusive or niche. The idea that a “mass market” has imploded with the onset of internet is untrue, when in fact it’s grown exponentially.
How else does a small Canada based band on an North Carolina-based indie record label end up on the Super Bowl???
The Federal Government has a tough time shaking the image of a tangled brier patch of old bureaucratic laws and even older bureaucratic men, but times times are indeed a’ changing. As the use of computers becomes so widespread that even the stodgy fed has to start integrating digitally, struggling college graduates comfortable in a digital world have a better shot at employment than ever. [More]
In a way, us kids in Generation 2.0 are the first in a long time to have to work harder than the generation immediately before us. Education has become inflated, the job search is merciless, and the economy has hiccuped itself into a stupor pushing to step up to the huge expectations of our future employers.
Most of all, though, we work hard because we are pushed every day to talk with our mouth full. What do I mean? Read on, digital frontiersman!
What would you do if Lady Gaga told you to buy a pair of Lady Gaga edition Adidas Sambas?
In a way, us kids in Generation 2.0 are the first in a long time to have to work harder than the generation immediately before us. Education has become inflated, the job search is merciless, and the economy has hiccuped itself into a stupor pushing to step up to the huge expectations of our future employers.
