James Cherkoff finally got around to reading Kevin Kelly’s Wired article, “We Are The Web,” from last August, which is more than I can say.
His main point is that there are so many tiny, technological developments occuring that it’s easy to overlook the resulting social upheaval. Obviously, Kelly puts it a thousand times more eloquently: “The accretion of tiny marvels can numb us to the arrival of the stupendous.”
In an article destined to fuel a million powerpoint presentations he also nails the most surprising fact about today’s web: “The deep enthusiasm for making things, for interacting more deeply than just choosing options, is the great force not reckoned 10 years ago. This impulse for participation has upended the economy and is steadily turning the sphere of social networking – smart mobs, hive minds, and collaborative action – into the main event.” Or, if I might paraphrase the great Kelly-one: “Blogs, schmogs, this is where the real fun starts”.
The question for us modern marketeers is how do we take part in massive online cultures where collaborative action is the driving force?
