Ten days ago, Mark Gullett was laid off from his position as Marketing VP of hockey team Tampa Bay Ligtning. Today, he is known by millions of people and can choose between job offers from all over the world. That’s what happens when Generation In-Charge handles unemployment.
Ten days ago, after learning of his father’s loss of job, 14 year-old son Ben made a three-minute video, MarkbyBen, in which he in a dylanesque manner informs that his father is avaible for new positions. Within 24 hours, the youtube views approached 1,000 and hundreds of emails were sent to markbyben@verizon.net. Today, the number of views approaches 100,000, the video has been translated into Spanish, MarkbyBen’s employment hunt has been featured in media across the globe – and Mark can pick and choose between job offers.
What does this tell us? 1) Anyone can gain 15 microseconds of fame (even from becoming unemployed). 2) Anyone could get a new job in 15 microseconds (if one embraces the world of any). 3) Generation In-Charge doesn’t sit around waiting for headhunters, they take charge and go employment-hunting.
What does Nextopia mean?
Nextopia på svenska
Facebook group
Illustrations for the Nextopia book blog appendix
and a bit of re-cyckling that we read about earlier
Wondermartin,
You wrote it first – “others will write your CV for you”. You’re always ahead of me…
emvehå,
MD
Hey again!
Sorry for this – probably off topic – but this whole “quick fame nextopia” kept leeding me back to the same question to you Michael, so here it goes.
Does it ever bother you that in Nextopia so many stupid/”useless” people can take up alot of space and time? Do you think that this can become a problem? The useless movie idiocracy might have a point?
Reflecting over Darwins theory – might we be looking upon the survival of the “most outrageous” / “most funny” / “most pointless” in the future?
Am I over the line? I hope not because i really liked to hear some quick words on this? Will “good” people be able to make their voices heard when everybody now has a chance to grab their 15sec?
// D
Here’s my thoughts from my point of view.
Postmodernism has been heavily critizised over the years, mostly for dumbening the people. My opinion is that every system has it’s pros and cons considered how you use the system.
Postmodernism per see doesn’t dumbening people. However, you could missuse fragmentation, the fastening media pace and everything that comes with postmodernism. Only taking in the information that surrounds us may make people more stupid since that way you don’t use the information, you only consume it.
But with internet postmodernism takes another turn (maybe we shouldn’t even call it postmodernism any longer?). There have never been any greater opportunity to participate in the official and unoffical debates. There have never been greater opportunities to cocreate intellectual properties. There are tendencies towards more open source solutions in society, not only when it comes to software but in almost every aspect of society and that development is only at its very beginning.
And there have never been as good opportunities to educate yourself by participating in communities (which happens to be the subject of my ongoing candidate thesis in media and cultural science).
Of course there will always be a Linda Rosing taking advantage of the postmodern mechanisms in society to get her 15 seconds of fame. But haven’t there always been? On the other hand, there is also far better chances for intellectual persons to develop their skills. There is also far better opportunities to make cross over co-works, which should lead to more creativity.
So I think that on the contrary, we have never had a better opportunity to create a society were everybody can learn and develop their own intellectual competency. The rest is up to… well, anyone to make a reference to nextopia. In the end it may come down to if you are willing to participate or not. And yes, the not participating people may be dumber, but then again, they will not be the ones developing mankind.
That was an inspiring post that stirred up quite a few ideas. Bigge, care to share your thesis?
Micke, absolutely. It’ll be finished in early June. I’ll try to remember to make a note about it.
There is also more of my (high and low) thoughts about digital cultures at http://www.whataguy.se/blogg (worst looking blog ever, but hopefully it delivers some interesting subjects). Of course my thesis will be available for download there when finished, as well as my earlier thesis’s – one at b level and one at c level about participation – as soon as I get my ass off the wagon and upload them.
David,
Really interesting thinking! Honestly, I don’t think being “good” will be enough. You won’t be able to rely on people finding you and your good sides. The world of any is too overwhelming. Being (only) outragegous will continue to have an effect, and accelerate to have even greater effects. But still, that’s 15 microsecond windows. To stay in there, I expect one can’t be good, one has to become better. Both parts being crucial – (continuosly) becoming, and (outrageously) better as opposed to good.
Bigge,
Beautiful answer! I like your take that postmodernism can’t be really (semantically) postmodern any more. And I totally agree that the world of any gives opportunity for developing more skills, smartness and creativity than ever before.
emvehå,
MD