About 100 web content mavens met up at the Washington Post’s headquarters on Tuesday, August 17th to learn about options and tips for creating mobile-device-friendly web content at the “Making a Mobile Website” meetup. Due to popular demand, the event will be repeated September 14th. Featured speakers were Cory Lebson of Lebsontech and Jerome Ferrara of NetBiscuits, both mobile solution providers. Jasmine Sante, who organized the event, and John Schmidt of Vaya Mobile also provided insight and discussion. Here are some tips shared by the speakers at the event:
- As with any content discussion, your first question when creating or repurposing content for mobile use should be Who is your first priority audience? FEMA’s mobile website, for example, is directed to people experiencing a disaster looking for relief and preparedness information.
- Think about each component of usability: effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction of specified users in specified context of use.
- Keep in mind people are often looking for a quick check of specific, basic information: phone number, address, directions, etc., as opposed to the more extended, casual browsing at a desktop or laptop.
- In addition to the quick check, other users may be looking for interactions optimized for their mobile device, such as videos or games, especially if you are an entertainment provider. This type of content will keep people coming back.
- Simplicity
- Screen resolutions are much smaller and vary widely. Keep content to one column.
- Don’t use tables to lay out content as they can be displayed inconsistently.
- There is great variability of hardware, screen-size, and software used to access the mobile web. Test what your mobile content will look like across a variety of platforms and phone types: iPhone, Android, Windows Mobile, BlackBerry, Palm, Nokia, and feature phones that include web access. Recruit colleagues, friends, and family who have different devices and have them run through use scenarios.
- Don’t forget about the long tail of users; about 60% of mobile traffic comes from devices that are not the most popular three or four.
- Graphics should be used sparingly and only if they are of high importance or value, such as a logo to maintain consistent branding. Colors tend to wash out outdoors.
- You may want to default to the mobile site for certain devices, but give users the option of the regular site if they prefer.
- Start preparing for the future mobile web now, including bigger screens and faster and more reliable data transfer. By 2014, more people worldwide will be accessing the web from mobile devices than from computers.
In short, the early mobile web bears close resemblance to the early world wide web – lack of standards, inconsistency in hardware and software used to access it, small screen resolution and sometimes slow connections. But we can employ the strategies learned over the past couple decades of traditional web design to make the mobile web just as user-friendly as the modern web.
Contact the individuals or companies who participated for more information on optimizing your corner of the mobile web. What tips, tricks, and tools have you found useful in making your website mobile-friendly?
Movie review: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
When a movie’s tagline is “An epic of epic epicness,”
the question is, will it be an epic fail or epic win?
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is an epic win.
The enticing trailers show Michael Cera playing the likable underdog Scott Pilgrim who must fight the league of seven evil exes to win the girl of his dreams. The movie was like watching a video game and a comic book come to life. Comic book movies are common, but frequently too dark, too violent, too cheesy, or too cartoony.
This movie struck the right note and rocked it. I’m not a big reader of comic books themselves, but I like comic book-based films, and this is the best one I’ve seen in a long time. It was the graphic novel version of a movie, not simply another action flick featuring comic book characters.
I can’t say how faithfully it held to the comic book series, but it was faithful to the comic book style, with shots framed and cut like the panels of a graphic novel and sound effects visualized, in a way that blended seamlessly with the overall film and live action elements. The special effects and fight scenes felt like watching someone play through a live-action video game. I look
forward to playing the video game based on the movie and graphic novels!
Dialogue was snappy and humorous without being over-the-top. All the characters, even supporting characters, were driven by something, making them more realistic and fun to watch. Supporting characters Wallace Wells (Kieran Culkin), Pilgrim’s gay roommate, and Knives Chau (Ellen Wong), Pilgrim’s former love interest, might have stolen the spotlight in another film, but here, the entire cast was strong enough that they elevated the whole film. Main love interest Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) was quirky, mysterious, and aloof, but showed just the right hint of vulnerability at the right moments.
Michael Cera did a great job playing, well, Michael Cera. He’s well-suited to the role of the slightly awkward underdog who goes for what he wants at full power. And the suite of evil exes each have a personality and a power of their own, with different battle styles and strengths required to defeat each one. Many video game genres are well represented, from ninja fighting games to skateboarding to the music genre, while the movie plays well as one truly epic adventure to save the princess.
If you’re a comic book, video game, or fantasy fan, or a fan of geekery, you’ll probably love this movie. If you’re a fan of action and/or comedy, you’ll probably enjoy this movie. I was lucky enough to score free passes to an advance screening, but the movie was already on my must-see list for the summer. Add it to your list.
About 150 young nonprofit professionals gathered in DC on Friday to learn about how social media can be used by nonprofits to further their goals. It was a fast-paced, information-packed day organized by the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network of DC. Tamara Rasberry’s event recap details many of the speakers and topics covered. Here are some key tips from the amazing speakers and panelists at the conference, from tweets and notes.
- Start small with social tools. One person doing well can lead to greater organizational buy-in. Have a short-term plan for what to do in the first 30, 60, and 90 days.
- Internal education and communication is essential. Education will help others in your organization understand the value of what you want to do, why you should be in the social media space. Share this Social Media Revolution video with skeptical colleagues to demonstrate the importance of having a dedicated social media presence.
- Promote and communicate your successes. Formalize regular internal reporting of what you’re gaining (awareness, followers, positive mentions, etc.) by having a social media presence. If something big has happened, such as a huge jump in website traffic, donations, members, or campaign actions, market your social media success story assertively to your colleagues and organizational leaders.
- Find and follow tweeps who cover and talk about your subject or issue using tools such as WeFollow and other Twitter directories, and event and topic hashtag searches. (Bonus tip: WeFollow used to allow only three tags on your account but now allows up to five. If you signed up a while ago or have changed your focus, you may want to update your listing.)
- Keep your content retweetable. Keep it short enough that your handle and additional characters can be added without requiring editing.
- Keep in mind that social media can act as a democratizing force for smaller organizations, allowing you to spread your message, gain followers, and even win contests and mentions, no matter how big you are.
- Twitter and Facebook can foster a higher level of interaction and more interactions than blog or news article comments. People often use their real identities, pictures, and names and have an easily-findable presence on social media forums.
- Cross-generational information sharing can be a great way to help older workers better understand new media and younger workers better understand the organization’s goals and processes. Institute formal mentoring or info-sharing sessions to make this happen.
- Keep an eye on what people are talking about, the top news stories and trending topics. If trending topics are related to your programs, messages, and goals, jump in the conversation! Use hashtags to be found more easily. Think about unique connections you can make, such as using a hot-button political issue as a way to encourage more voter registration.
- What do you want your audience and community to think about you, to know about you? What reputation are you trying to build, what are your goals for participation? Answer these questions to stay focused. (This point was also an exercise in the Blogging for Branding 31 days to a brand new blog challenge from Rosetta Thurman.)
- Content curating is becoming a highly valued skill; seek out and share the most relevant and important content in your area of expertise or practice. Keep in mind the 80/20 rule: no more (and often less) than 20% of your posts should be self-promotional. 80% should be engagement and sharing others’ content and successes.
- Combining social media with traditional PR is all about building relationships. Be where key reporters are, follow them on Twitter, comment on their articles, help share and fulfill their requests. Be a resource for them, and they’ll be more likely to think of you for a story or respond to a pitch.
And finally, I have to share this funny cartoon shared by Lisa Byrne. Attendees were eagerly soaking up, taking notes on, and tweeting the great information and examples presented by all the speakers. A big thanks to YNPNdc, John Chen, Malcolm Furgol, and the organizing committee for organizing a valuable, fun conference.
Thank you to speakers and panelists Tammy Gordon, Brian Dresher, Reggie Henry, Peter Panepento, Alison McQuade, Chris Golden, Ayofemi Kirby, Jason Rosenberg, Rosetta Thurman, Ashley Parker, Debbie Friez, Mariah Craven, Amanda Miller Littlejohn, Kye Strance, and Jordan Viator for sharing your experiences and insights.
Movie review: Step Up 3D
No one is going to go see Step Up 3D for a creative plot, but if you love dance, you’ll truly enjoy this movie. The first dance movie made in 3D and the third installment in the Step Up film franchise, Step Up 3D showcased some incredible hip-hop and breakdancing. Viewers of So You Think You Can Dance were exposed to repeated promotions for the movie, and it was enough to get me in the theater. So what was great and what was lacking? To break it down:
Plot: B- Surprisingly, there was actually a fair amount going on plot-wise. None of it was particularly original and most of it was predictable, but there was more going on here than in the average romantic or buddy comedy. The plot centered around Luke, the leader of a close-knit dance crew; Natalie, the new girl in the crew; Moose, a college freshman trying to balance school and dance; and Camille, Moose’s best friend. The crew, of course, has to battle with a rival dance crew to win a contest that has big implications for their future. Light romance and conflict ensue.
Characters: C+ The characters are pretty flat and stereotypical, without much development. There’s the usual business about pursuing your dream and figuring out what really matters. Luke happens to have a passion for making film, and his films allow us to see glimpses of the dancers’ thoughts on what dance means to them and where they come from in documentary style, providing some of the most real emotional moments in the film. Some of these supporting characters, while providing comic relief and more dancing, seem more real than the leads because they’re not forced into a predictable plot role – they seem to be appearing as themselves. The main characters are likable and provide a good-enough vehicle to move the film along, but are ultimately forgettable, blending into a long line of dance-loving protagonists.
Dialogue: C There were moments in this movie when I would literally turn to my friend and whisper the next line before the character said it. Like the plot and characters, the dialogue was utterly predictable and forgettable in its over-the-top cheesiness and “believe-in-yourself-ness.” I was often laughing at the film instead of with it, but the movie doesn’t take itself too seriously, either, so the cheesiness often becomes funny instead of merely groan-worthy.
Dancing: A+ Finally, the reason I paid $13 to go see this film in 3D. The movie featured a huge cast of over 250 superb dancers. There were incredible hip-hop dance sequences by some amazing dancers. And not only were street dancing and breaking featured, but there was a tango sequence and a fun dance reminiscent of the famous Singing in the Rain number. Fans of So You Think You Can Dance (and another popular TV musical show) will recognize familiar faces. The quality and originality of the dancing in this film were simply amazing, far better than any other recent dance film.
Visual Effects: A The 3D in this film was very realistic, making the dancers and environment pop off the screen as elbows and knees were popping and locking. Only a few times did I notice that some aspect of the environment or a particular dance move was done in a certain way only because of the 3D, like an awful lot of arms pointing straight at you. But short of seeing dance in person, seeing dance in 3D is as good as it gets. Dance is movement, and 3D enhances movement and body positions. I think the scope and sheer number of dancers would be a little lost in a traditional flat film. The final dance sequence had some highly inventive lighting, provoking genuine “oohs” and “aahs” when combined with the dance moves and 3D effects.
Bottom line: if you are a fan of any kind of dance or a fan of 3D movies, go see this film! You will not be disappointed by these aspects, and you might find yourself laughing and enjoying the cheesy plot in site of yourself.
National Dance Day celebration on the National Mall
This past weekend I had the pleasure of attending the National Dance Day event on the National Mall, presented by So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD) Executive Producer Nigel Lythgoe with Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton of DC. (My Congresswoman! Who still can’t vote, but does great work anyway.) Norton introduced a resolution in Congress declaring July 31st officially National Dance Day and presented Nigel with a plaque of thanks from Congress for increasing awareness of dance as an important fitness activity.
Highlights for me included simply seeing some celebrities from the worlds of dance, politics and fitness, including:
- Nigel Lythgoe himself, Executive Producer and Judge on SYTYCD
- Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton
- Dominique Dawes, Gold medal gymnast from the 1996 women’s Olympic gymnastics team in Atlanta (one of my favorite group of athletes of all time, right up there with the 1995 World Champion Atlanta Braves), Currently Co-Chair of the President’s Council on Fitness
- Russell Ferguson, Season 6 winner of SYTYCD
The event organizers gathered together an incredible variety of local dance talent who performed an amazing array of dance styles, including contemporary, hip-hop, tap, swing, DC hand dancing (official dance of the District of Columbia), Zumba, Irish dancing, African dancing, ballroom, and flamenco.
No dance day event would be complete without enthusiastic crowd participation. Russell, Congresswoman Norton and friends led the crowd in the Electric Slide, and Step Afrika! led the crowd in some basic stepping and call and response. The diverse crowd, from toddlers to seniors, danced along with some of the hip-hop songs and fitness dance routines. And of course, there was the Tabitha and Napoleon Hip-hop choreography many of us had learned. We reviewed the choreography extensively before the show began, and all participants were pumped to present it for the cameras. Watch SYTYCD on Fox this week for clips! (The crowd choreography was one thing I didn’t capture with my camera – I was too busy dancing!)
What was also really fun to see, besides the pure joy of the crowd in dancing, participating in the show and watching the dancing, was the pure joy and enthusiasm of Mr. Nigel Lythgoe. Being British and tie-clad, in his seriousness on TV, what doesn’t always come across clearly is how much this man truly loves dancing. You could see in his face, his smile, his playful dancing at the beginning of the show how truly happy and inspired he was to share his love of dancing with the gathered crowd and folks across the country.
As the show wrapped up, many participants continued to dance for the cameras. I followed Nigel and Russell with my camera, getting a few paparazzi shots of the dance celebs. Russell was sweet enough to pause for photos with fans!
I love the show So You Think You Can Dance because I love dance. I was thrilled to be a part of the (hopefully, first annual) National Dance Day celebration. A couple friends and I kept the party going at a cookout hosted by my roommate at our house. As was fitting for National Dance Day, the cookout wrapped up with a small impromptu living room dance party.
Keep on dancing! I know I will. And please check out my photos from National Dance Day on Flickr!
Three cat tales
I don’t plan on blogging extensively about my cat, but once in a while, it may be necessary. And this is one of those days. Three amusing cat-related incidences have occurred in the last few days.
A Cat Bath
Unfortunately, I didn’t capture any photos or video of my six-year-old cat’s first bath. It took two of us just to hold him and wash him, so we didn’t have a photographer. But, surprisingly, Cat handled it pretty well. I followed the rules I had read online: run just a few inches of water first, keep it a mild temperature, put a towel in the bottom so he can get a good grip, and trim the claws ahead of time.
When the time came, I bribed him with treats first so he’d be happy and not hungry or whiny to start, then carried him upstairs to the ready bathwater. He whined and clawed a little at first (I have one cat-scratch paw print on my leg), but once he got settled and realized nothing too terrible was going to happen, he seemed to almost enjoy the attention, massaging, and cool water. I am relieved he handled it so well and happy to have a cleaner kitty.
Since I didn’t get a photo of Cat-in-the-Bath, here’s a fun one of Cat-in-the-Box:
Fat Cat Food
Besides the fact that Cat likes to squint in photos, you might also notice that he’s a rather plump kitty. To work to remedy this, I’ve purchased “Weight Control” cat food on a few occasions. Cat does not seem to like the diet food very much. A few months ago, he seemed to take to it ok, but the last bag, he all but refused to eat unless he got really hungry. It sat in the back of a cabinet, forgotten, until I purchased a new bag, and realized, “Hey, I should try to get him to eat up this old food first.” So I’ve been mixing the older diet food with regular food, about half-and-half, until today, when I realized why Cat didn’t like the diet food.
Exhibit A: Two bags of weight control food:
Exhibit B: Why Cat didn’t like the older bag:
Oops. I guess cats are not big fans of dog food. From Exhibit A, you can see how I could have grabbed a bag from the store shelf assuming it was cat food without looking too closely. The bag on the left is actually cat food, on the right, dog food. Hopefully, cat and dog food are nutritionally similar enough that no significant damage was done to Cat by his consumption of dog food for a few weeks. Any veterinarians, dog and cat owners, or pet food manufacturers that can comment? A few takeaways:
- Pet food manufacturers, especially Iams: Please make your cat and dog food packaging significantly different with large, high-contrast pictures of dogs and cats so one does not have to look too closely to see which is which.
- Safeway and store stockers and managers: Please look closely at pet food bags and make sure they are stocked in the appropriate shelf area.
- Pet owners: Please look closely at the bag before purchasing it to make sure it is the right kind of food. Looks may be deceiving.
I hope Cat likes the diet cat food better than the diet dog food. (Update: food bowl empty. Looks like he’s happier with cat food, even the diet kind!)
A Feel-Good Story
A few days ago, as I was headed out on my bike to a Nationals/Braves game, I noticed a guy on his bike calling out, “Slinky! Here, Slinky! (kissy noises),” clearly looking for a lost pet, flyers in hand. I asked him for a description of the lost pet. He described a cat with distinctive black/white/grey swirly spots/stripes; I said I would keep an eye out and headed on my way. After the game, I biked home, sweaty and tired, and dragged my bike back into my basement.
Fast forward to today. I headed down to the basement to take care of some laundry, and noticed “Oh merde, I left the basement door unlocked again!” It had happened once before after bringing my bike back. This time, the door was open a few inches, and I scanned the basement to see if anything was out of place. All seemed fine, and I secured the door and made a mental note to not let it happen again.
A couple hours later, I headed back to the basement to get the bike to run some errands. My cat was nosing around the kitchen. I did a double-take when I opened the door to the basement and there was another cat sitting on the steps! I shut the door, startled, as the strange cat darted down the steps. I realized this strange cat fit the description of the man’s missing cat: black and grey patterns. I went down to the basement, wandering among the piles of junk calling, “Kitty! Here, kitty! (kissy noises).”
I found Lost Cat cowering among some piles of stuff in the front basement area, brought him down some cat food (regular cat food, not diet, not dog food) and water and went out to find the phone number from a flyer. I called the owner and left a message and kept checking on Lost Cat as I waited for them to call back. Lost Cat seemed scared, but happy to have some food and water. About a half-hour later, a lady called back, cautiously optimistic that I had found her family’s cat.
She and her adorable twin boys, about nine years old in matching soccer uniforms, came over, identified the cat as theirs, coaxed him out of hiding, and happily took their mewing cat back home. Lost Cat was now Found Cat! I was happy that my carelessness had resulted, not in an evil intruder, but in providing shelter to a sweet kitty during a couple days of thunderstorms and heat. But I’m still going to lock my basement door next time I bring my bike back in.
Lost Cat happily, cautiously eating:
Theater review: Avenue Q
Puppets. Profanity. Purpose. (Today’s review of Avenue Q is brought to you by the letter “P!”) Playing now through August 15 at the Lansburgh Theatre in downtown Washington, DC, the Broadway musical Avenue Q had the audience laughing out loud and letting loose at the decidedly non-PC antics of a talented and engaging cast. A show not-for-kids, I would call it a must-see for adults who know how to laugh. The show came highly recommended by all friends who had seen it, and I strongly agree – GO SEE IT!
Musical highlights include: “It Sucks to be Me,” “Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist,” “Schadenfreude,” and “The Internet is for Porn.” If those titles sound amusing and intriguing, you’ll love the show. If you’re blushing and not sure if you can handle mature themes and R-rated puppets, well, you’ll probably enjoy Mary Poppins, currently playing at The Kennedy Center.
Besides the giggle- and guffaw-inducing adult subjects and music, what makes Avenue Q so enjoyable is how real it is. The actors, through the puppets, lay forth in raw, honest emotion the heartaches, yearnings, pains, and struggles of the human experience, with plenty of wit and humor. You’re not just laughing at the puppets’ antics – you’re laughing at yourself, and your friends and neighbors. Having your eyes opened to the humorous side of difficult or taboo subjects and experiences is a relief – a big stress-relieving catharsis. And most of us could likely use a good laugh right now; I know the show lifted my spirits and made my week.
And even better, Goldstar is offering steeply discounted tickets! Only one performance date is showing availability right now, but they’ve been periodically adding new dates. (Disclaimer: I do receive a tiny credit towards future service charges if you purchase tickets through the above Goldstar link. But I would recommend the show and discounted tickets regardless!)
Congress, you have oil on your hands
Climate activists rallied at the Capitol on Tuesday to demand that Congress enact “Clean Energy Policy Now!” The BP Oil Crisis spurred many organizations, including 1 Sky, 350, Code Pink, Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, and concerned citizens to demand that oil money and influence be cleansed from our politics as oil is being cleaned from our shores. Rallying cries included:
- What do we want? Clean Energy! When do we want it? Now!
- Oil on your hands, Pollution in the air - Congress, it’s time to show you care!
There were calls to action from environmental leaders and moving speeches by Louisiana residents on the impact of the oil disaster on their lives. An oil-soaked, money-eyed “BP representative” was running around, making a mockery of cleaning off a turtle. Friends of the Earth had a “Wanted” sign listing “The BP Ten,” the ten Congresspeople who have taken the most money in campaign contributions from BP. The most wanted list includes well-known names like Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA). Congressional offices of each of the BP Ten were visited by volunteers and activists from Friends of the Earth, who demanded that oil money contributions received in the last two election cycles be donated to Gulf Coast recovery efforts. Sign a petition on the Friends of the Earth website to pressure Congress to reject dirty oil money.
The women of Code Pink ended the event with a humorous yet poignant song, to the tune of the Beverly Hillbillies Theme (posted with permission):
“Let us tell you the story ’bout Company BP
It wanted more oil so it dug deep into the sea
They wanted more profit so they did it on the cheap
And up from the sea came a bubbling leak
Oil, that is. Black Gold. Louisiana Tea.
So the birds and the shrimp and the fish began to die
And the people on the gulf, they all began to cry
They asked the folks in Congress to listen to their pleas
But Congress was in bed with the oil companies
Oh no, get them out! That’s bad.
Get oil money out of Congress, we want green energy
The sun and the wind and the waves of the sea
We can’t stick with oil cause we’re running out of crude
If we don’t make the change, the planet will be screwed.”
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Movie quick take: Inception
I saw Inception this weekend and enjoyed the thrill-ride, but left with a nagging feeling that something was missing, that I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as the hype, peer reviews, and my expectations had led me to hope I would. I realized my problem with Inception after reading Roger Ebert’s blog post discussing David Edelstein’s critical review. This line from Edelstein stood out:
“Nolan is too literal-minded, too caught up in ticktock logistics, to make a great, untethered dream movie.”
I agree with this assessment – for me, the movie was too strictly logical for a dream film. I expected and wanted fewer rules, more like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind or The Matrix. I realize, the movie I expected to see was not the movie Christopher Nolan wanted to make, but I had been led to believe from the trailer that there would be more than just a handful of scenes that bent the rules of physics.
If your subconcious does wacky illogical stuff that bends the laws of physics, why couldn’t the Architect and others in your dream? I can buy the dream extractors and everything within the film except that limitation. If an Architect can build a world that’s accepted by the subconscious as one’s own dream reality, that fabricated false-world shouldn’t have to behave and look so normally. I just don’t buy the explanation Cobb gives in the film that your “subconscious projections” start to notice odd physics but are ok with a world created by a different mind. I guess it’s a nuance of the dream technology.
I did enjoy the movie, but didn’t find it the “best movie ever.” I loved the layers, the overall plot and character development, the way it left me thinking, the idea itself of invading the mind through dreams. I guess I’m just a sucker for mind-bending special effects and visuals. (My Netflix suggestions have me pegged pretty well.)
My slightly older friend recently asked me, “It seems like your generation is more attuned to professional development, finding what you’re good at, and skills identification. Why do you think that is?” Here are my musings on this question.
For me at least, at my university, I had the opportunity to participate in a lot of those personality and skills inventory tests, Myers-Briggs and so forth, that help you identify personality and strength attributes, like creative, entrepreneurial, and analytical on one evaluation, and find career possibilities that would be a good match. I think a lot of people in my generation, Millennials, had the chance to take such tests and self-evaluations in college or high school, or at least on Facebook. And those of us who took a basic psychology course were introduced to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and the concept of self-actualization.
We’ve been told by our parents, “You can do anything you want,” and by advertising, “Have it your way. What do you want? Where do you want to go today?” This makes it harder to accept a job and lifestyle that does not make us happy. We don’t merely aspire to happiness – we expect it.
A recent talk at TEDxPotomac by Cake Love founder Warren Brown encouraged the audience, “Do what makes you happy. Follow your happiness, answer to yourself.” This message resonates with young adults because, one way or another, we’ve been hearing it all our lives.
And more easily than in the past, we can tailor our world to exactly match our preferences, our news to exactly match our interests and views. Starbucks’ recent “however-you-want-it” frappuccino campaign played to the expectation of customization. Facebook’s instant personalization may have been subject to many privacy critiques, but I would assume that to some young people, it seemed merely another way to access the information most relevant to them, the natural evolution of the internet from a distributive channel to a very personal, interactive, social experience.
The simple act of customizing a Google or Yahoo! homepage asks you, “What do you want to hear about? What kind of news and information do you like?” You have to stop and think, “What do I like to read about, learn about, and stay up-to-date on?” The previous generation wasn’t given this opportunity at every turn to customize their information stream. You could pick your TV channel, your radio station, but weren’t asked what specific topics interested you the most. Now, from customizing our internet home page, to selecting the news feeds in our RSS reader, to building our Twitter lists of organizations and people we want to follow, we filter our worlds far more granularly than ever before, constantly asking ourselves, “Is this information going to be relevant to me?“
The filtered news many of us now receive has been talked about in the context of the echo chamber, selective perception, and an increased polarization of political views. I believe it has also had the effect of helping us paint a clearer picture of ourselves, as “me” and “myself” become more clear and better defined through many deliberate acts of choosing and defining what we like. We fill out profiles, list our interests, and write snappy 160-character bios of ourselves, spending more time consciously defining “about me” than previous generations were asked to do. Sure, this has the potential to lead to a selfishness, a false expectation that the world revolves around that “me,” but this heightened sense of self can also lead to more true happiness, as we have a better idea of how we each define happiness for ourselves.
And in the career realm it can lead to a better awareness of the skills you possess, your interests, the types of work you like, the things and ideas that motivate you, and greater satisfaction and productivity at work. Millennials like to work for a bigger purpose than just mere money. We may not always enjoy taking direction, but we enjoy learning and trying new things and finding creative ways to do something more efficiently or better. And if we can say with confidence that we’re doing something we enjoy, we’ll be happier and more productive employees or entrepreneurs.
Look at Twitter. There are many people not just sharing what they eat, but what they read, what they do for work or for fun that they are passionate about. My Twitter stream is full of highly productive people who love what they do, do it well, and love sharing their passion and knowledge with others.
And that is what makes me (and others) hopeful that my generation can and will “change the world” and “make a difference” on the issues many of us care about (like the environment, hunger, and poverty) – our desire to share and cooperate with others. A recent New York Times article and the TEDxPotomac speech by Frances Moore Lappé pointed out that people are wired for cooperation, to be helpful to one another and gain satisfaction from doing so. We aren’t just more self-aware than ever before, we really are better able to connect with others who care about the same things, who share our passions and our values. As Steve Moore pointed out at TEDxPotomac, we can harness our instant connectedness not just for mass snowball fights, but for mass action and gatherings to create better neighborhoods and solutions to the problems facing the world that we live in.
Note: This post was written shortly after attending TEDxPotomac in May 2010, but edited and published a couple months later.
