7Cees’ SXSW experience: concerts, 3AM bus-rides with strangers, swarms of geeks, discussions of the future of mankind, meditations, astronaut mansions, co-working, dancing, rainstorms and sunshine.
SXSW Interactive attracts a large proportion of the people who are shaping our digitizing world: the accomplished looking for what’s next and the up-and-comers looking for accomplishment. It was a nice surprise to find that we were relevant and people were interested to hear about our trip and what we’d learned.
The nerd-o-sphere is enabling the social revolution with technology and apparently the people behind it are mirroring that with increased importance on life experience and personal growth. If technology is going to give us the opportunity to be a fluid part of a very interconnected society, well then we’re going to be the best little part we can, dammit.
It makes sense that an increase in social connectedness would enhance each of our drive to become the person we want to be. If our time is dominated by social interaction, then presence and ability to communicate become more important, which stem from personal development rather than a professional skill.
Also, if we’re each only required to fulfill a very specialized role in a much larger entity (within a corporation or in society at large), then once we master that role we’re set and allowed the freedom to explore. That exploration could be in another professional direction, but given how difficult it is to break a barrier into a new field of work, it’s a better option to keep a current job so long as it remains relevant. This opens the avenue for creative exploration to move into personal spaces more than in any generation past.
Next stop, Chicago.
Just saw the M.O.S.H. bus heading west on 90, and I had to see what this was all about! Fun!