Posts from the ‘social’ Category

Mar 23

14 Steps to Electoral Victory

This is a terrific story. Sarah Wakefield has been elected University of Manchester’s General Secretary for 2010-2011. Sarah has also recorded the highest majority since records started in 1967.

How did she do that?

First and foremost, Sarah is an engaging, intelligent, and bubbly member of the Manchester student community. She works incredibly hard, maintaining a list of activities that would put most high-earning executives to shame. Her policies were also clear, well articulated, and perhaps most distinctly, they were progressive. Sarah’s manifesto makes a call to arms to protect the quality of education, for online votes to be made during general meetings, and for greater transparency by placing administrative processes online, not to mention a commitment to spending at least two hours a week outside of the union engaging with students.

What else did she do?

She has also achieved what every political hopeful is trying to do around the world. She has captured the magic that illuminated Obama’s campaign through the medium of online video, blogs and social networks. In the 14 days running up to the student election Sarah posted a short online video to her blog sarahwakefield.com – 14 in all. This collection of short videos walks us through her manifesto pledges critically placing the message in the environmental context that it was made – the union, oxford road, and even the pub. Her voice is real, her message is heart-felt. One by one the students of Manchester get to know Sarah and trust her message. If not, they can write to her and express their opinion.

Sarah’s blog outlines her policies, activities and testimonials, all giving a real-sense of Sarah Wakefield and what a voter might expect from her, and also what she asks of the voter. Social networking tools are at play also – twitter and facebook. Sarah is connected to over 800 friends, and regularly posted events and meetups online. According to her testimonial “Sarah Wakefield has persuaded some of the most cynical people to walk through its doors of its importance”.

Students voted online.

This was a well-executed campaign. Technology was part of the story, but only part. In the end, a talented individual won the trust of her peers and for that we offer our congratulations. I certainly wish Sarah all the best during her time as General Secretary 2010-2011.

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I hope to hold an informal interview with Sarah when I return to Manchester. As the world rethinks the nature of politics and democracy in the 21st Century, Sarah’s story holds an important line in history.

If Sarah is reading this, I hope you agree.

Nov 4

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A Social Twist in the Modern Day Gold Rush

Social Business Design has replaced the rush for cheaper, faster, more. The survival and prosperity of well-known web businesses now rests on their ability to include us all.

It was a red-hot morning and the school disinfectant smelt particularly strong. The doors were wedged open at the back of the school hall, but there was little movement in the air to have any affect. Still, I took up my position on the concrete floor and tried to find comfort in what was likely to be another agonising assembly. The heat fuelled chatter beginning to fill the room but this was soon cooled by the entrance of our Headmistress – Mrs Burden. We all thought the world of her, but she also commanded our immediate respect. “Good morning” she said. “Today we have some special visitors from the Royal National Institute of Blind People” (or the RNIB ). “This should be interesting” I thought, and I was right. Almost 24 years later I can still remember this particular talk, not so much the words, but the technology on display. There was a red ball that made a loud screech (I still don’t know what that was for to this day), a mug that bleeped when the water reached the rim, and a whole host of specialist canes and telephones with mega-sized buttons. Great, but even at the age of eight something wasn’t quite right. The motivations behind these solutions were true and good, but the manifestation of the design was the great disappointment. Not only does a vision impaired person have to make sense of a life without eyesight, they are subject to equipment that is, well, simply “not cool” – that was the impression of an eight year old.

Looking at those technologies today I might better understand the importance and freedom they brought to people’s lives, but the young man’s hunch was probably correct. The design far being from being inclusive was actually building barriers. The technology with its loud and garish appearance was labelling people, and when we label people we tend to categorise them, and when we categorise we leave the door open to stigma and preconceived ideas. These preconceived ideas take hold and the paradigm is set. Industry and society are able to produce simple responses to that category or group. Worse than that, it takes away the problem. Industry and invention can get on with getting on, safe in the knowledge that access is most likely someone else’s problem – in this case the RNIB. This, sadly, was the lesson I took from that sweltering hot assembly hall. The RNIB will look after the blind group. Unless I want to join the RNIB I don’t really need to worry about it. The same can be said for the environment. Organisations like Green Peace for all their brilliance tend to take the problem away. “Those green peace boats are on top of it, so I don’t need to worry”. And even if Green Peace falls short, technology will likely fix the problem. This, of course, is wholly wrong and unfair.

I am sorry to report that this mindset continued to play out in my early professional career. Like many ambitious, head-strong twenty somethings I was saddling up my horse and on route to those rivers of gold – getting on with the business of building web sites and creating online initiatives. But I may have missed a trick, because not once did I think about accessibility. It seemed to me as a nice-to-have. Something to think about once the race was won. If I had given it a moments thought then I would likely have come across the W3C guidelines, but these in themselves are inaccessible to anyone but the most savvy of web engineers. When money and time is tight the three hundred page document does little to inspire hope. Innovation is once again put first – cheaper, faster, more. The other stuff can be fixed later.

Over the last several weeks I have been working for Media Access Australia (MAA). It has been a humbling and enlightening experience. For one, the challenge is startling. They are up against the steal tank of preconceived ideas. They know that access issues are unlikely to be fixed overnight, but having said that, everyone at MAA has a success story. They have, in each of their relevant disciplines brought about a dramatic change in access to cinema, TV, education and new media. Over the last six weeks I have been fortunate to work with Dr Scott Hollier. Scott has a degenerative eye condition by the name of Retinitis Pigmentosa but it is not in Scott’s nature to dwell on this point. In a show-stopping presentation to the Australia Broadcasting Commission (ABC) Scott started by saying “I have lived a full and good life”. This line was quickly followed up with an acute pronouncement that “At some point in all our lives we have to manage and cope with some form of disability – whether it be ourselves, a friend or a family member”. My early dogmas were beginning to erode and I was sufficiently motivated to learn more.

With my interest roused, I started to do some research. I immediately came across a study commissioned by Microsoft (2004) showing that among adult computer users in the United States 1 in 4 has a vision difficulty, 1 in 4 has a dexterity difficulty, and 1 in 5 has a hearing difficulty. There may well be overlap in those groups listed, but adding up the numbers suggest that 40% of the population has an impairment of some description. 40%! If these numbers are only half true it would not be too bold to propose the following hypothesis:

H0: If a site is accessible, it is more likely to access a greater share of the market and succeed.

H1: If a site is inaccessible, it is less likely to access a greater share of the market and will not succeed.

According to some analysts, if a site is accessible, it is also a third quicker to all other users, suggesting that a route to the mainstream market can now be forged through innovations that are directly concerned with accessible design or Social Business Design. There are a number of practical reasons why this makes sense, for example, web services are increasingly being accessed through iPhones, mobiles and notebooks. A mobile version of the site is less cluttered and often more accessible and intuitive to us all. Obliterating the flash elements and providing alternative or transcribed media content of photos, videos, and audio will undoubtedly improve a web-sites search rankings, moreover, and as we have noted, an accessible site is typically a usable site, and in an age of limited patience this can not be ignored.

Where is the evidence?

Consider Google for one moment. At its inception (circa 1998) the web was made up of a number of cluttered portals – windows to the web that listed sites under entertainment, health, and arts. Google saw this and decided to walk the other way. They kept it simple, adopting a search box and an ‘I’m feeling lucky’ button. This simple design paired with useful results attracted a loyal following to the service. Accessibility was a cornerstone of their growth and success. Google.com is still arguably the most accessible website on the planet.

Portals like Yahoo maintained a cluttered and busy interface.

The Google search engine attracted a loyal following among a growing number of Internet users, who liked its simple design and useful results.

Perhaps this was an early indication of social thinking in the modern day gold rush, but has this been repeated in history? The California Gold Rush of 1848, sparked by James Wilson Marshall, resulted in thousands of men, women and children arriving in the sunshine valleys in search of their fortune. Those early settlers soon advanced sophisticated methods for the recovery of gold – cheaper, faster, more. Cheaper – cut back on your possessions and pack up your wagon. Faster – develop more sophisticated methods of gold recovery. More – retrieve as much gold as you can. However, the euphoria eventually tempered and the gold seekers began to develop a social conscience, building churches, schools and even systems of law and government. They gave time to cementing their place in the world and putting the lives of others first. It might be argued, they recognised the importance of social business or the social economy that they were in.

This could well be food for thought for the savvy entrepreneur. The twist suggests that we should now lead with a social innovation. It is no longer a case of producing a technically brilliant product, pitching to the early adopters, hoping that it filters into the mainstream, and then, and only then, if the company does sufficiently well adopting a social conscious and building the accessibility features in. Social business design is now central to modern day business. The web asks us to obliterate the categories and labels that once defined access to technology, services and normal life experiences. It is no longer okay to leave the social aspects to the end, and if this strategy were adopted today it would most likely sound the death knell to any early stage startup and even an already well established business.

Existing paradigm: Innovate, pitch to the early adopters, convince the mainstream and trust that a third-party group will fix the access problems.

New paradigm: Successful organisations will now lead with Social Business Design.

Reena Jana suggested in a recent Business Week article that Apple’s success can be put down in part to features that were created to help disabled people use their products more effectively, including voice commands, touch screens (iPhone), and even audible navigation (iPod shuffle). Peter Abrahams takes this further and observes a more significant twist in the Apple product strategy. Not only are they including accessibility features in all of their products, to the benefit of the impaired as well as the regular user, but they are actually leading their marketing campaigns with this message.

“Apple products have included accessibility functions for many years, the difference in the latest release is that Apple is making accessibility a significant part of the marketing of the products. In the recent Snow Leopard release of Mac OS X, accessibility is one of the bullets on the first page of the announcement.” Peter Abrahams.

Perhaps the real genius of Apple is that their technologies attain to be, and often are, accessible to all. The vision or hearing impaired no longer have to be saddled with a mobile phone designed with mega-sized buttons or even that screeching red ball. The labels and categorisations have been obliterated. Not only that, the original hypothesis begins to show strength. Apple is succeeding and how!

Apple are not alone. According to the Social Media Accessibility Review produced by Media Access Australia, Facebook undertook a comprehensive design review to improve the way we all share and discover information on the service. As part of this review the company partnered with the America Foundation for the Blind (AFB) to make the site more accessible to users who are blind or vision impaired. Undoubtedly other factors are at play, but by focussing their design effort on accessibility Facebook opened up their service to an additional 40% of the overall market. Facebook is now the number one social network in the US with more than 300 million active users. MySpace, in comparison, is in free-fall having lost over 30% of the market this last year. MySpace is an inaccessible site. It has failed to deliver any accessibility policy and has no evidence of accessible design built into the service.

TED (a small nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading) has sought to open up their talks to new audiences, nationalities and languages by offering interactive transcripts. TED continues to grow. YouTube has also recognised the importance of Social Business Design and has been working on a number of projects to make videos more accessible to everyone. One new feature is the ability to include captions in videos via Caption Tube. When uploading a video to YouTube you also have the option to upload a closed caption file for the video. You can even include multiple languages. When you have uploaded the file, viewers will be able to activate the captions through the video player menu. Not to be out done, the incumbent media players have adopted Social Business Design to cement their position as primary delivers of content. The BBC is the only broadcaster in the world to include audio described TV programmes in its video-on-demand service.

There is much to be learned from this social twist in the modern day gold rush. Fundamentally, it is a recognition that we are all different and that we should no longer categorise groups believing that their representatives will solve the problem. The savvy startup or established business will now lead from Social Business Design, whether it be accessibility, the environment, or business ethics. This makes social sense, but the true gold-seeker also knows it makes economic sense. Social Business Design is a rich source of innovation and a key catalyst for growth or simply cementing a position in the marketplace. Social Business Design equals successful business.

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If you would like to learn more about accessibility and the web, then please send a short email to mcahill@gmail.com

Aug 4

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Old Media is the New Media

“Coursework … coursework … coursework … Where is your coursework Cahill?”. These were the words reverberating around my head at 3am this morning. It was the same recurring nightmare that haunts me at least once a year. It is not a normal nightmare like falling off a cliff or being chased by blood thirsty hounds, it is much more frightening than that. I am 30 years old and I am being grilled by an old high school teacher. I am told how my coursework is not yet finished and that I must sit at least one more year of high school before I can continue with my career. It is spine chilling. I mean, seriously, another year of high school!!? What is worse, I actually try to defend myself. I am in a cold sweat trying to explain why I have moved on from high school – “I have passed a few more exams since then”, I say.

Are you laughing? It is frightening, honestly. Well, it scares me because I remember my coursework. I don’t wish to labour on this point, but looking back I think I must have surely achieved an A+ in colouring-in. Every portfolio consisted of masses of colouring-in. Graphic Design was the worst of the lot, pages and pages and pages of colouring-in. Then there was Expressive Arts – a whole wall that I was told to colour-in. But it was the same in science – those diagrams that needed colouring-in, geography – bar charts that needed colouring-in, english – book covers that needed colouring-in. I was probably so drilled with this technique that I probably coloured in my spaghetti bolognese in home economics.

Apart from my coursework nightmare, I do not remember too much about my school days. I remember flash points like scaling the tennis court railings and tearing my trousers (another nightmare). I remember a regular diet of chips, gravy and garlic bread for my lunch, and I remember my mates. Great mates that I still have. But that is about it really. I only mention this because two points worthy of note collided this week. Firstly, the esteemed Prof wrote a great piece or two about his school days. His recollections and memories. They were more vivid than mine and I am only sorry to say that I was one of the usual suspects. The one with the certificate at the end of the school year. Looking back I wish I had played to my rebellious side more often than shying away. I might have more vivid memories. I certainly don’t remember why I was being awarded a certificate. But then, today, SLAM!! To the left of my facebook feed was an innocuous photo collection titled ‘Worden a long time ago’ and the man behind the shots was a teacher from those days. One of the greats – Paddy Allen. Paddy Allen was that teacher who promoted the underdog. He recognised talent and made sure it had direction and a place to excel. He would also promote the academic stars. I remember his challenging nature. He would test you.

Science block. Looking at that equipment, I am sat here wondering how I was ever educated.

Paddy’s photostream has sparked neurons I didn’t even know existed. Those heavy cotton blazers that I ditched after day one because everyone else in the school opted for the simple sweater. The library, the burners in the science lab, music teachers and english teachers. In fact, flicking through these photos brought back more than simple memories. It fired emotion. All my insecurities I felt between the age of 12 and 16. My fear of the older kids, homework, and the sheer scale of it all. It wasn’t just fear though. It brought back the excitement. The good stuff like having your own pocket money, playing on a full-sized footy pitch, and I have to be honest – girls. A whole bunch of them, not that I had any luck in that department, nor even on the football field.

I would never have remembered this unless I saw the photo. Now that I have, it was like yesterday. The last day of school before Christmas. I only hope the audio recorder was broken. I don’t need to relive that.

This was the best form of entertainment. There isn’t a television production team nor any amount of Hollywood dollar that could come close to this. It is your life played back again. It is bewildering, frightening and simply hilarious. The oddest thing is this. I am not even in any of the photos. I just recognise the faces and the classrooms. The memories are vivid again. I can almost smell the tar during that hot summer when the builders reconstructed the roof on the main block.

This is a potent form of entertainment and for all the difficult social questions that surround a service like facebook, here is a case for the defense. A connection to an old teacher. A connection to old friends and the resurrection of dead brain matter. With all this, perhaps then old media is the new media? Perhaps there is something to be said for holding back a photo or a video clip? Perhaps its impact will be exponentially greater in five, ten, twenty or fifty years time? The old media has a new context. It will punch more weight.

I also had a similar experience a few years back. It was Christmas day and my uncle brought along a DVD. My uncle has been a television engineer since I can remember and he owned one of the earliest portable video cameras. Mind you this thing weighed a ton and was powered by a battery the size of a breeze block, but it did work.

Again, I didn’t really remember my granddad, but when we played the film there he was, in full colour, play fighting with me at six years old. It was extraordinary and it felt like I was watching something I was not supposed to see. My reaction was to turn away, but of course I didn’t. It was compelling viewing. Neurons were fired and raw emotion stirred. There were tears in my mother’s eyes and gasps of awe across the room. One such scene involved my cousin on a BMX bike. He was building a ramp. A ramp that was only ever going to lead to catastrophe. I turned to look at my cousin whilst he watched this footage. He was in raptures. He was laughing so hard it caused him physical pain. He had to leave the room.

I really do think there could be a new trend in old media. How this will play out is yet to be seen. I certainly think the incumbent media organisations will look for a piece of the action. It is way beyond the format of today’s television and the shows that point a lens at the moment of heartbreak.

The delivery channel will be interesting, but more so will be the response of our media rich youth. They have always known digital cameras and video capture devices. It is pervasive, instant and always on. But perhaps, just perhaps, there is a smart kid that is holding a media object back. He or she has a sense that this content might well be better served through the passage of time.

The other kid will be found colouring-in.

Sep 25

Healthcare and the Creative Industries: Disconnected agendas?

At first glance there is no obvious connection between the creative industries and healthcare. However, technology in the 21st Century is pervasive and no matter where we turn we see the disruptive effects of new technology. One direct effect is the merging and coming together of industries. Information is no longer restricted to location – a global HQ. Information is now digital and can be freely shared at almost zero-cost. Those smart corporations spied an opportunity and have been busily reinventing their product offerings by diversifying into complimentary sectors, and in some cases non-complimentary.

Take Nike for example. Only five years ago Nike was a sports goods producer. Brand led, Nike associated itself with the most successful names in sport – the most successful teams and the most successful players. At every major final across the globe the Nike brand was often at play. Retail sales and product lines were part of the this mix, but given the media exposure of the Nike machine it would not be too far an exaggeration to suggest that Nike sits within the Entertainment and Media Industries or the Creative Industries. If Nike entertains, then customers will buy.

Let’s fast forward, and consider Nike today. Where are they? And which sector do they play in? Well, they are still in the business of sportswear and sponsoring global sports stars and brands, but with the introduction of Nike+ there is now a case that they operate within the health space, and arguably have a dramatic impact. But what is Nike+? Nike+ is a product that includes an Apple iPod, a digital pedometer inside a specialised Nike running shoe, and online portal. When an individual sets out for a run the beat of the music is set to the pace of the runner. The shoe itself is calculating overall distance and is reported through the online portal. The online portal itself is technically advance as it allows the user to set specific goals. Of more importance is the ability to invite friends and family into your system. You are able to set goals, and compete with those in your immediate network. This fits Rose’s preventative theories in that the health message is personal (friends and family) and many (the system sends prompts on a regular basis).

Arguably, Nike is now sat within the health space, and has just completed a mass community based initiative whereby all users of the Nike+ system were invited to take part in a global race – The Human Race 10K. This was a race held on an unprecedented scale, and could go some way to moving the world to a homogenous state of health? A challenge cited by Rose “Few diseases are the inescapable lot of humanity, for a problem that is common in one place will usually prove to be rare somewhere else”, but he also suggests that this should not always be the case – “There is no known biological reason why every population should not be as healthy as the best”. This proposition is perhaps far-fetched but does spark thinking into potential research projects and how this might be achieved with new technology, and globally pervasive technologies.

Okay, so Nike now sits within the Creative Industries and arguably healthcare, but what about transport? Well, we could suggest that within a busy life and a busy daily schedule finding time for health is becoming increasingly difficult. But, if a short walk or a run adds to your overall goals for the week, then it is sensible to suggest that an individual may decide to walk where they may have otherwise decided on taking the car?

Extend the same argument to Nintendo Wii?

Nintendo shares a similar story. It once sat within the creative industries (gaming), but now has a significant influence on the health of families, and the health of family relationships within an interactive and shared gaming experience – The Nintendo Wii. It was recently cited to me that a family used the Nintendo Wii as a means of managing their son’s (Peter) diabetes. By all accounts Peter is able to eat a dessert with his dinner so long as he plays at least 30 minutes of the Nintendo Wii. This brings his insulin back to a safe level. The Nintendo Wii is not just about physical health, but also points to dramatic changes in the overall health of society. Consider the following piece of writing from Professor Peter Kawalek:

I came across ‘Rock Band’ for the Wii yesterday. It is a phenomenon. According to it, my nephew, Mark, is rated 6,000 best drummer in the world. I reckon that is quite something for a 15 year old. He is scoring 5* star perfomances for all the key tracks save for the hardest (or hardest at his level, I am not sure which) ‘Won’t Get Fooled Again’ by The Who (uncanny in the week in which I started to research the life of keith Moon for the blog). Mark sits there with his Wii toms, and is frequently called up by musicians across the globe. They play guitar, bass or sing. Being the 6,000th best drummer in the world means that you are quite sought after. On Saturday he was jamming with a kid from China. Top of the Pops is dead. What’s the fun in a Top Forty of other people’s music? Music is everywhere and easy now. It is the playing that is the key. That, and being in the charts yourself. Where are you in the top 20,000? Is this the future?

Social Media, McLuhan, and Geoffrey Rose

From ‘The Medium is the Massage’

Electrical information devices for universal, tyrannical womb-to-tomb surveillance are causing a very serious dilemma between our claim to privacy and the community’s need to know. The older, traditional ideas of private, isolated thoughts and actions – the patterns of mechanistic technologies – are very seriously threatened by new methods of instantaneous electric information retrieval, by the electrically computerized dossier bank – that one big gossip column that is unforgiving, unforgetful and from which there is no redemption, no erasure of early “mistakes”. We have already reached a point where remedial control, born out of knowledge of media and their total effects on all of us, must be exerted. How shall the new environment be programmed now that we have become so involved with each other, now that all of us have become the unwitting workforce for social change? What’s that buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzing?

Social computing allows anyone with an Internet connection to release their own music, publish their own book, and direct their own movie. For some commentators, Hollywood pales into obscurity, record labels cease to exist, and industry structures begin to look dated at a time of great innovation. Such trends rely on theories of emergence and more recently ideas regarding the ‘Wisdom of Crowds’ but ultimately the thesis suggest that we can all command an audience through Web 2.0 designed sites. The argument suggests that every piece of user generated media content has a potential audience. Any number of people, possibly only one, but equally possibly millions, can view one short video or be influenced by a message either within or outside of their immediate network.

With the Nike+ system we all become athletes, to a lesser or greater degree. With ‘Rock star’ on the Nintendo Wii, we all become musicians, to a lesser or greater degree. If the facebook, bebo, trends continues to play out then we might suggest that top-down models of old might begin to disappear. Change and Innovation will be truly emergent, and structures with be self-regulated and populations and individuals opting in opting and out as they see fit.

This ties in with Iain Buchan’s theories on health communication.

“Target the masses. Participation. Collective consciousness. This can have the greatest impact on health. Personal and many – like in facebook. A leaflet from the NHS won’t work, but perhaps an open statement from your best friend might? Emotional connections drive approval”.

From Wikipedia: McLuhan proposes that media themselves, not the content they carry, should be the focus of study; he said that a medium affects the society in which it plays a role not only by the content delivered over the medium, but by the characteristics of the medium itself. He pointed to the light bulb as a clear demonstration of this concept. A light bulb does not have content in the way that a newspaper has articles or a television has programs, yet it is a medium that has a social effect; that is, a light bulb enables people to create spaces during night time that would otherwise be enveloped by darkness. He describes the light bulb as a medium without any content. McLuhan states that “a light bulb creates an environment by its mere presence.”

Could such social effects of say Facebook lead to individuals being as concerned for their health as their actual profile. Could health be a measure of success alongside wealth, fame, and family. Clearly, the app fad that surrounded facebook for some time has begun to diminish and groups are looking for meaningful interactions. This suggests the social networking medium has yet to prompt all the social changes that may occur from its existence.

We must also be conscious of the ‘Hazards of the Digital Economy? What are the ‘symptoms’ of social media? What are the health threats in the 21st Century?

“Coronary heart disease emerged from obscurity to become the commonest cause of death in Western countries; now it is on the wane. In countries with a newly expanding economy, such as Hong Kong, the old historical patterns of sickness (high infant mortality, and adult deaths mostly due to infections) is now giving way to the problems of heart attack and duodenal ulcer.” Geoffrey Rose.

I suggest that the effects of Social Media in a medically advanced world will likely be cognitive rather than physical – an increase in say work place burnout, marital breakdowns, eating and sleeping disorders, antisocial behaviour (knife crime), amnesia or alzheimer’s.

This theme will continue in future blogs … Watch this space!

Nov 21

Something wonderful emerges?

I’ve just noticed an article that I think will be of much interest, and it plays on one or two themes already introduced here and here.

The theme is competition and emergence – two cornerstones of the social media environment. Any social media system whether it be flickr, youtube or twitter operate on the principle that anyone can participate so long as you accept a simple set of rules. You are welcome to upload a picture to flickr so long as the content is appropriate and not offensive to flickr users. If it is, then the the community will flag the item for removal. Flickr is a self-organising system not governed by a committee or a hierarchy.

These designs originate from a revolutionary idea. An idea that was counter-intuitive to everything we once thought, and in some parts of the world the theory is still not accepted. The book was ‘The Origin of Species’ by Charles Darwin (1859). Prior to Darwin the world saw life ordered in a pyramid like structure where God was placed at the top, below him great men, then man, then animals and dogs. The lower orders follow the ideas of the upper orders. Darwin’s theory challenged this. Life, as he stated, was not designed from something more complex than life. It began from something quite simple – ultimately dead matter. From a set of simple rules something quite wonderful emerges – life. It is structured through a web of interdependencies where there is no one important part and we cannot change the status of an entity

Social media sites follow Darwin’s model in that anyone with an Internet connection can release their own music, publish their own book, or produce their own movie. Quality is judged on the number of views, comments received, and times marked as a favourite. Quality will rise to the top. It is most likely better than what a small collection of professional photographers can produce.

This is a brilliant idea. We can all participate, and we all compete with equal resource.

What I enjoy most about these web sites is the effect they are having in the offline world, more so than the online world. It no longer seems appropriate for one individual, politician, or celebrity to preach to the many without debate or comment. We all have a voice and an equal say.

This brings me onto the article, published on the BBC website yesterday. The article describes an innovation within the Swedish Education system that allows anyone with sufficient motivation to start their own school. They must work within a set of simple rules – follow a core curriculum and promote democratic values, but success is ultimately reliant on their design. If it’s good enough, it will attract students… and ultimately the Swedish government believe that standards will rise. Something wonderful emerges? Well, that’s the theory.

Article here: Swedish model of ‘free schools’.

Nov 20

When to Switch Off?

In a recent post I was looking to queston the divide that can often exist between work and life, and more recently I was invited to speak at an event in London entitled Ask Generation Y. Ask Gen Y was an opportunity for businesses to think about the next generation of society entering the workplace – What methods will they bring? What ideas do they have? What technologies will they utilise? Even as much as will they want to work for us? Seeing as I operate on the edge of generation y I felt that my inclusion was slightly fraudulent – Am I really the best person to represent this generation? Presumably not… so I took the opportunity to invite my 12 year old cousin Olivia, a far better representative on a number of different levels.

The more I thought about it, the more it made sense to bring her along. It was a great opportunity for me to interview Olivia on her thoughts about her future, how she uses technology, and what she thinks about the world in general. This low-level research gave me the material I needed to present. But it was much more than that. It was, first and foremost, a great opportunity to spend some quality time with my cousin, and an opportunity to show her the sights and sounds of our nations capital. From my memory a short weekend in London had a huge effect on me as a young person. It was also an opportunity to show one member of my family a glimpse of what I do, as this still remains an anomaly to many.

The gambled payed off as Olivia was, without doubt, the star of the show. Her messages about technology were profound. You can download some of her statements from my short interview with Olivia here. What stole the show however was one short video clip. It’s a video of Olivia in the Apple Store London, a must see destination for any London tourist, sitting comfortably next to the likes of Buckingham Palace, 10 Downing Street, and Trafalgar Square. The clip shows the first time Olivia has ever seen and used the Apple iPhone. I had my camera to hand so I took the opportunity to capture the moment. In the clip you will see Olivia accessing Google, finding her school website, logging-in, and downloading a homework assignment she was telling me about earlier in the day.

The startling message to the ‘Ask Generation Y’ delegates was this: “Olivia isn’t that interested in technology”. She doesn’t see a career in ICT, and doesn’t obsess greatly over the latest device. But technology is there… it has been there since the day Olivia was born. She doesn’t concern herself with what it can do, and what it does not do… she just knows it… and uses it on a regular basis. She does not worry about when to switch it on or off. It is simply on. It is, in the end, just life… like eating or sleeping

This is in contrast to the following video clip that I also prepared for ‘Ask Gen Y’. This clip captures the thoughts and opinions of a separate section of gen y’ers. They are slightly older, but this is a tech savvy audience. The messages are classy, each profound in its own way, but what is interesting is the underlying concern for technology, in particular a concern for when to turn it off. What are the consequences of turning off your RSS feeds, email, or facebook for a minute, an hour, a day, a week? What’s the worst that can happen?

These are genuine concerns, but do they concern Olivia? There is much food for thought, especially for those who think about technology, design products, or build services.

Nov 12

Generation Y on media, society and life

Today marked a turning point in my teaching career. I was caught on the hop. 10 minutes to go before a three hour lecture, and what did I have? Nothing.

As I plugged in my laptop, setup the mic and watched over a hundred students pour into the lecture hall, I still had little clue as to what I was going to say or achieve within the alloted time. It then came to me. Silence drew and anticipation built. The three hour grueling examination to determine whether I met the mark of lecturer and whether all those tuition fees were really worth it. Time to turn the table, I thought, and so I played this.

This is ‘A Vision of Students Today’ produced Michael Wesch: Assistant Professor of Cultural Anthropology at Kansas State University.

After much laughter, wincing, and applause the silence soon came back around. This was my moment. “So” I said, “Seeing as you aren’t listening to me … what do you want to do?”. “How do you want to make the most of the three hours we have alloted?”. “You tell me!!”.

There was silence at first. I could see some students were questioning my sanity, but then it broke. “Tell us about our assignments Sir … How will they be marked?”. Classic response, I thought, but I was determined to make them the centre. “Well, you tell me, I said”. I had set the students into groups. They were responsible for blogging on themes of disruptive technology and so I asked them - “How do you think your assignments should be marked?”. It started slowly, but soon students were chipping in from all sides of the lecture hall. “Quality of writing”, “use of media”, “hits and site stats”, “presentation”, “design fit to the audience”, “creativity”, “number of posts”. On an on they went. We actually opened a collaborative google doc there and then. The responses kept coming.

I asked the question again – “How will your assignments be marked?”. I answered - “refer to the google documents page we have just created”. This felt like a tipping point in teaching. I was no longer the disseminator of knowledge and wisdom. I was the facilitator. The students were awake. They were learning. I was too. I had a great paper on ‘What to look for in a blog’.

I then took this a step further. I was preparing a keynote presentation for Ask Generation Y at the Vinopolis, London. I felt uncomfortable with this though as I am falling off the edges of Generation Y, if I was ever there. Another opportunity struck me. Let’s ask those who are. And so the second-half of the lecture proceeded in the same fashion. Four questions and responses given to each. I captured these responses in the following clip – Ask Generation Y.

Note: The camera work is shoddy as I was using my macbook to record the responses.

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