I attended the GigaOM Roadmap Conference this November. The line up was ridiculous. I gleaned so much knowledge and insight about where things are going to go and current trends from the minds of industry leaders, futurists, philosophers, doctors and entrepreneurs. I was lucky enough to get a press pass since I’m co-authoring a book on the age of sharing and collaborative consumption.
Besides the Telsa S electric luxury car, which doesn’t compare to a human being… @jack the founder of @twitter and now @square captured the entire room. The hearts and minds of the conference converged. @jack spoke about technology making us more human, more humane, more connected. And the melody by which he spoke made me all the more grateful I was recording the talk.
The phrase that keeps running over and and over in my head is at the beginning of the video below:
“The arc of the Internet I’m most fascinated by is the arc where technology reminds us if of our own humanness, where it encourages us to use what we already have.”
- Jack Dorsey, founder of Twitter
Since GigaOM, I’ve listened to his talk at least 5 times. Every time I learn something new and I get amped for tomorrow. The future Jack speaks of is glorious. It’s one where human beings harness technology to utilize more, be more, empathize and connect on a higher level. Never has someone so eloquently described @twitter… and why shouldn’t he? He was the visionary for the platform that gives everyone and anyone a voice.
You can see his full talk below:
Besides @jack and the Telsa S (which I may or may not have gotten in line for)… I picked up a few other gems that I’ll share:
* TV audiences have increased, not decreased with increased consumption of online video (so far online TV really competes with DVR) – People are finding more and more time to spend in front of their screens, often multitasking. Where are people finding all of this time?
* We need to build machines that respond to humans, not the opposite The future connectedness to our devices will become more human. Natural gesturing and voice activation will help people carry out everyday tasks.
* “Computers are not outside of us, we’re inside the machine”
* Drivers for innovation and creativity are often stirred by limited resources
* International markets will provide formidable competition – basically, the Silicon Valley will no longer have the corner of the market on innovation
* Consumers want to purchase bite size pieces of digital goods (songs not albums, chapters not books)
* App stores are the new internet — you now see apps within apps (see inkling, professional chef or fitnessclass in Apple Apps Store)
* The future of work is anywhere, everywhere. Within the next 10-15 years 80% of the workforce will be remote
* Cars will be more like iPhones/iPads with touchscreens, electronics and software that updates itself wirelessly
I'm passionate about building community, understanding how to maximize time, objects, skills and space and the new age of sharing. As a digital native, I see where things have been as well as where they are going.
