Can new media send a positive message and/or educate?
Do you want to hear a confession? I went to a Star Trek Convention once. I’m not going to make any excuses or try to deny that I was impressed to meet “Q.” I was totally speechless by the time my turn came; he was one of those characters that I love to hate. So I stood in front of the signing table clutching a headshot. Actor John de Lancie stared back at me, looked deep into my soul, and after a long awkward pause said “Read.”
That little exchange really stuck with me. The same way that Star Trek the Next Generation stuck with me. That show was the only program on TV that carried a good message. A slightly better message than one of my other favorites, Magnum P.I. So, Star Trek brought us benevolent explores of the galaxy and Magnum P.I. brought us a playboy who has a black friend who flies a helicopter.[1]
Now that I think about it I think there is a positive message to be found no matter what TV show you watch. It just comes down to how you consume the content.
Does social media mark the beginning of a new era?
This week I went to a book signing for Crush It: Why Now is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion. Gary Vanerchuk is not a professional author. He is a social media expert and the creator of Wine Library TV. Gary tells his followers to live their passion. Gary’s passion just happens to be wine. His book is about quitting the job you hate, and create a business you believe in. Gary makes tons of speeches telling his fans that the game is changing, and the internet/social media is responsible. Now a home-grown, one-man operation can be more prolific than any big corporation; more authentic too.
So are you ready to find a new way to consume your media? Our social media hero painted a nice picture during his book signing. Gary said the water cooler is over, you can go there but now everyone watched a different program. In the same regard there is a market on the internet for even the most obscure hobbies. You might ask: how do you monetize geocaching or German board games. Well there is a market for that, a worldwide market and potentially thousands of followers.
It is difficult to be the biggest YouTube star, or the most prolific wine blogger. Gary says that you have to hustle and work your face off. When you watch the videos you will find that he is a very engaging speaker with or without profanity.
When I walked up to get my signature I did not freeze up like when I met “Q.” I walked up and told Gary that I am going to Crush It! Gary came back sounding very genuine and said that he hoped our paths cross again someday. This classic consideration, the kind that makes even the small guy feel important, is one of Gary’s biggest reasons for success.
So are all big corporations and cable television dead. I believe so. The way you and I consume our media is rapidly and forever changing. What would you call this post-post modern era. If you are in for some heavy reading you can check out Alan Kirby “Digimodernism: How New Technologies Dismantle the Postmodern and Reconfigure Our Culture.” I will just leave that there just incase you are a total nerd like me.
My girlfriend was so excited when I got my first cell phone.
How did we ever live without a cell phone? I made it seventy-five percent of the way through college without any hand-held device. The next thing you know my girlfriend has got me on a leash. Not that I wasn’t whipped before. She was blond, great looking and so happy that I finally had a cell phone.
I don’t think I actually called her much on it because we were always together. I did use it to call my family for free on the weekends. This change was responsible for me finally becoming close to my sister and parents. It must have had something to do with distance and technologies’ unique ability to breakdown inhibitions.[2] My cute little blue Nokia also had amazing battery life and an amazing ability to make me instantly accessible to my friends. Yes because of this little phone I started to achieve a level of popularity that I had never experienced before.
After College my girlfriend and I went our separate ways. It was never going to work out. But we did stay in touch with that same cell phone. The carrier switched from VoiceStream to AT&T, but I was able to punch in codes that would let me call Scandinavia for five-cents a minute. I think that experience defined the way that I currently treat break-ups. I realized that I want to remain friends with my ex. I want to be grown-up enough to put aside differences and not to let jealousy rule me. Did you ever see the movie The Big Chill? All of these recovering hippies including Jeff Goldblum try to deal with the fact that they all slept together curing the sixties. I always thought it was cool how they were so cool about it.
Talk about being cool, you should see my iPhone. All these applications like facebook, mobile email, twitterrrific, foursquare, and many more connect with so many people. Someone you didn’t even know yesterday; now wants to go to Lebowski Fest or the Cut & Paste Digital Design Tournament global championship with you! How has a cell phone changed your life?
[1] Dane Cook. Want, Need.
[2] Have you ever found you inhibitions to be broken down my text messaging? People will say things on a computer that they would never say in a face-to-face conversation. That reduced shyness can also bleed into our other communications. Along with the college experience I think new technology and new media changed my personality – I am a much more outgoing person now.
