Facebook’s ‘Rage against' X-Factor chart monopoly

As an advocate of new technology, I find myself regularly having to justify and explain the point of social networking. We regularly hear the likes of Facebook described as futile, temporary fads that take online procrastination to a whole new level.

Yet there are examples all the time that challenge this rather cynically view. The campaign that saw US band Rage Against The Machine topple the X-Factor’s monopoly of Christmas number ones is a beautiful, expletive ridden, case in point. In a few weeks, with nothing but a laptop and a broadband connection, couple Jon and Tracy Morter caused one of the biggest chart upsets of all time.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself!” I hear you say. I won’t pretend that this particular story isn’t anything more than some rather hairy young people getting one over on a middle aged music tycoon. But apply the same scenario to something much more important, and the connotations cannot fail to excite. What could the same principles of social networking do for democracy in a suppressed nation, or for the voice of the minority in any society? The fallout from this year’s election in Iran showed a more powerful example of social networking challenging the status quo.

Simon Cowell will, I’m sure, get over this rather embarrassing incident. Rage fans will continue shouting, and homeless charity Shelter will raise a few extra smiles this Christmas. However, the internet will stay and continue to force us to think about the way we live. It will continue to give users the ability to shape the news and media they consume, to express the views they hold and to adapt their communication techniques as they see fit.

Internet users can say, if they are so inclined, “F*** Y**, I won't do what you tell me!” Which is, my lawyers have asked me to say, a Rage Against the Machine lyric!

Microsoft believes in the Millennials

Recently a Microsoft evangelist covered a story on his blog regarding millennials, which he took influence from a podcast we recorded for The Envisioners (www.theenvisioners.com).

Great exposure, and it goes to show that even the big transnational organisations are taking notice of what is a very pertinent subject to the times!

Check out James Senior's blog here!

Rise of the Pro-Ams

Experience and tenure are at stake, we are starting to see an army of amateurs falling out of the clouds (pun intended), and the new heroes are the underdogs, the unknowns and the every day Jo’s. We see it everywhere, from television atrocities such as X-Factor, where you can become a hero just as quick as becoming a loser. But there are important success stories to consider, such as the Cuban blogger, Yoani Sanchez who through political persecution spread the words around the world of the real experiences of those living in Cuba, to which she was awarded the prestigious ‘Maria Moors Cabot’ journalism award

Leadbeater and Miller describe professional amateurs, or ‘Pro-Ams’ as “Innovative, committed and networked amateurs working to professional standard. This emerging group, the ‘Pro-Ams’ could have a huge influence on the shape of society in the next two decades”. I certainly wouldn’t disagree…But it’s also not a new thing, take Richard Branson and Bill Gates as examples, Pro-Ams in their own right back in the hay day, but I think what Leadbeater and Miller are getting at is the opportunity that the Internet, and more importantly the Web has created. In the past 15 years we have seen a proliferation of more multi-million dollar organizations than ever before, just to name-check a few: Google, Twitter, eBay, Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, PayPal (etc) and these are not just fads, each organization in their own right has changed intricate details of society, and out of nowhere they were sprung by Pro-Ams. So what does this all mean? It means opportunity for those less fortunate, innovation enthusiasts and entrepreneurs.

Looking back over the past decade, the Internet and the Web have advanced and become pervasive commodities, and looking five years ahead it’s possible to see it becoming a mere service that we WILL take for granted, like many of our developed world pleasures. However, unlike the ‘real-world’ in the cyber-world your voice can be heard if you shout loud enough. Fede Alverez, a keen amateur film maker uploaded a video project that he’d been working on, it was a 4 minute sci-fi spectacle depicting giant robots destroying the capital city of Uruguay…not too dissimilar to Michael Bay’s blockbuster hit Transformers 2, but unlike Bay’s $50million flop, Alvarez’s powerful short film was made for free, instead opting to use his own skills behind the camera, creating his own CGI robots and getting his friends involved. Within a few days, Alvarez was contacted by many Hollywood studios and has now signed a $30million deal to shoot a film for Sam Raimi (Famed for his Spider-Man remake, and Evil Dead trilogy).

These are stories of glory, and maybe your next-door neighbour isn’t going to become the next James Cameron, but one thing is for certain, there are millions of people around the world being discovered for their fresh and new ideas. Talent is easier to spot than ever before, don’t be blind-sided by experience and tenure, because originality and passion will never become passé.

2009: A Review and Millennial hopes for the future

If it were possible to sum up 2009 in one word, what would it be? My suggestion: ‘Change.’

The past twelfth months have been a time of significant change across many areas of our lives. The year was rung in by a resounding speech from the newly elected US President. Obama’s ‘Change we can believe in’ slogan marked what many hoped would be a new era of progress. As the year draws to a close, it would seem like a good time to reflect on the changes that have, for whatever reason, affected the life of a millennial.

Proliferation of Twitter
2009 has been a great year for the micro blogging service. Recent research from eMarketer shows the number of ‘active’ twitter users at 18 million as the year comes to an end, up from 6 million last Christmas, and that is just the users who regularly update across multiple platforms. So what is behind this success? The truth is it’s hard to say. The ability for people to access the news they want, when they want? The increase in celebs using the site? For me, it’s the new found ability for self-broadcast that has helped the meteoric rise of social networking. The unrestricted ability for an individual to share what they feel people will want to know has created the most profound change in media of our generation: giving each of us our own broadcasting network. For our organisations, the tricky yet powerful ability to open up the marketing message to any employee who uses the service has already brought great success for many. In a year dogged by recession, companies have looked increasingly toward easier, cheaper and more efficient ways to reach their customers.

So what next for Twitter in 2010? The site is not without its challenges, with a reported 60% of new users leaving within the first month, and a less than certain business model, it will be interesting to see its progress. The change in the way we communicate and consume our media, brought about by such sites, will surely last much longer than this year’s mince pies.

Debate over Web 2.0 use
Even with the success of sites like Twitter in 2009, the role social media is to play within the enterprise remains unclear. Many see common sites as time wasting fads that will pass as quickly as they arrived. By recording the time their employees spend on Facebook, with a very real throwback to twentieth century Taylorism, some organisations have taken a very defensive approach to these new tools. Yet 2009 has seen a huge cultural shift for many companies, with many examples of employees being given the trust and responsibility of communicating with stakeholders using to powerful collaborative tools of Web 2.0.

2010 will, I predict, be a tipping point for the use of these technologies within organisations. Managers will be faced with a choice to tighten their firewalls or give the people they employ the responsibility to innovate and collaborate using techniques that are entirely new to traditional industries.

Digital Britain
With the release of the most comprehensive review of government policy on the internet and computing for a decade, 2009 has been a year of great debate as to how we should be approaching technology as a society. Many would welcome the announcement of a taskforce to tackle the issues of digital exclusion. Plans to deliver broadband speeds of 2Mbps to all homes in the UK by 2012 are also welcome, but are some way behind the likes of South Korea, Sweden and Finland; the latter of which this year made fast broadband a legal right. First Secretary of State Lord Mandleson’s recommendations in the Digital Economy Bill to remove internet access to serial illegal downloaders was met with great anger by industry and bloggers alike. A joint response from the online giants urged restraint from the government over the issues of copyright, suggesting that banning users from the internet risked “stifling innovation and damaging the government’s vision for a digital Britain.” It does seem somewhat contradictory to encourage universal broadband access on the one hand, recognising the dangers of digital exclusion, whilst threatening cutting people off on the other. It would seem that a choice is emerging between criminalising online file sharers, or encouraging the music industry to modernise their business models to compete in the digital age

There have been many issues which have pushed the Digital Britain debate down the agenda in 2009. National debt, Afghanistan or climate change, it would seem, will shape the key debates for the 2010 election. Yet for the millennial worker a frank an open debate is needed over a whole raft of digital issues; many would hope that 2010 brings with it exciting ideas that continue to challenge the way we work and play.

So as we ring in the new decade its worth reflecting on the innovations and issues that have shaped 2009. We will look forward to the new year with excitement and anticipation. Merry Christmas.

Digital Inclusion – government hype or socially vital?

We are all used to new buzz words popping up from both media and government. New Government Enterprise Tsar; Champion for Healthy Living; National Deck Chair Regeneration Task Force. Okay, I exaggerate, but it seems endless doesn’t it?

So with the announcement this summer of the UK’s first Digital Inclusion Task Force, the naturally sceptical among us would have sighed and got on with enjoying that rainy July. But is this another PR exercise, or an acceptance that digital exclusion is a serious issue facing our internet driven world? A quick glance over the stats paints quite a picture:

* Over 10 million adults have never accessed the internet, 4 million of which are socially excluded.

* Those earning over £40k per annum are twice as likely to be digitally included as those earning £12.5k

* An Internet Savvy worker will earn, on average, £8000 more than someone who is digital excluded.

The financial facts alone don’t tell us the full story. A recent study by UK Online Centres, who do a great job bringing internet drop in centres to some of the UK’s most deprived communities, set up 40 families from Tower Hamlets, East London with home broadband and support for 6 months, and monitored their progress. A fairly conclusive 97% of those who took part said that broadband had made a difference to their lives. Rubi, a 25-year-old mother of two, is now e-mailing friends in India rather than sending hand-written letters, is banking online and has drawn up a new CV.

Stories of courageous bloggers from places like Iran or Cuba trying to break down their digital divide are inspiring. But we don’t have to look so far from home to find examples of social barriers holding millennials back.

I’m sure we’ll see some trivial issues debated in the run up to next year’s election; with a decent helping of spin. But surely the debate as to the how we tackle to issues of digital exclusion isn’t one of them. There are, of course, benefits to universal broadband access for the country's bean counters. Millions saved here, Billions there. Yet the opportunities for a digitally included society run far deeper.

The UK’s Digital Inclusion Champion believes "there is both a moral and economic imperative for the wider community to take the issue of digital inclusion much more seriously." Fluffy job title maybe... but massively important work!

A simple experiment you can do: cut yourself off from the net for a week. No Smartphone, No Netbook, No PC! A minor irritation or genuinely debilitating? As someone always online, living and working with others exactly the same, it’s easy to forget how much it matters.