The Inkstained Mind: Vox populi

20 Jul 2010

Vox populi

If 35,000 football fans can own, manage and take Ebbsfleet United all the way to the FA Trophy finals; If online entities like wikipedia.org, mumsnet.com, zopa.com, and TheyWorkForYou.com and innumerable other collaborative endeavours over the Internet can redefine the encyclopedia, parenting, finance, and politics as we know it; What else can we do together?

Could we de-construct the structure of the traditional government apparatus, and begin to govern ourselves?

According to Alan Cox: "It is only by making people feel that they are actually involved and they can make changes and they actually own the environment around them, it is not owned by some faceless bureaucracy. They will actually care to think they can improve it."

But is society truly ready for participatory governance?

Us Now, a documentary film project explores the possibilities as new technologies enable ever-higher degrees of social engagement and collaboration.

Us Now from Banyak Films on Vimeo.

There is also a website featuring material from the making of the film.

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WHAT IS ADVERTISING?

It's often called the world's second oldest profession.

But while the scope of the oldest one has changed little over time, the evolution in the way we communicate has had profound impact on Advertising.

In the ancient and medieval world, Advertising meant word-of-mouth. In the 1500s with the development of printing it became a 'paid public notice', disseminating the message to many. And it had Copy & Art.

Then came radio, TV, computer, cable TV, Internet, mobile phones, Internet on mobile, and it's still not done... Even what we perceive as 'change' is changing. Continuously.

So what is Advertising today?

Honestly, I don't know.

But I do know from a dozen years evolving with the business, that Advertising is most valued when it can make a tangible difference for the advertiser.

That has not changed. And probably won't.

UPDATE: Nothing's changed. But in a way, everything has.

As you see, my focus has shifted - evolved in a way - to a larger canvas. The shift or evolution was gradual, and may be have been discernable to the more observant reader.

While I was delving into the influence of media in society to better understand how perceptions are created, evolved and disseminated, I chanced upon a thread of knowledge that I frankly never knew existed.

My conclusion is that a deep pool of awareness and consciouness exists beyond the shallow narcissistic boundaries created by the convention view of social media and the Internet.

My aim is to send my readers down any path that can lead to this quenching pool.