The networked & connected society

Our society has changed rapidly over the past years…our society has become networked and connected.
This flat world makes it easy to communicate in a dialogue model, but also changes our way of living, the power of our lives, our possibilities, …
A stumbled upon a few interesting movies, documentaries and presentations the last few days which I want to share with you.

So sit down and relax, and enjoy the connected ride from the past over the present to the future!

The Kinect Effect – Microsoft on Augmented/Virtual reality

Augmented reality is hot, and the future holds a lot more of this… The Kinect project of Microsoft for XboX is just a small step into real virtual and augmented reality.  Just to get everything into perspective I’m adding a movie and presentation on virtual/augmented reality.

The Kinect effect from Microsoft shows us what Microsoft’s real deal is with the Kinect tool….

The slideshare shows what Augmented reality is all about, or can be about (and what’s not augmented reality!).

I’m a fan, and believe AR will be the future of web 3.0. It will get us engaged, enriched and active in a whole new dimension….we’re only waiting for the right devices, since I don’t believe we’ll be running with our smart phone in front of us! Once this technical ‘problem’ is solved (with glasses, ….) while truly enter the augmented reality era! Something to look forward to!

ADM – Foyer: Fixing the media by Jo Caudron (MediaMorgen)

“Drama, Internet & Business with Jo Caudron”…a nice introduction after the small media storm Jo Caudron had to put with the last days.

For those who aren’t in on the dramadays of Jo Caudron: Jo tweeted a message of a company vehicle who passed him at high-speed during traffic works….nothing to big you would think: but he added the care plate and an action picture! After a lot of retweets by famous and less famous followers, a Belgian newspaper decided to do an editorial on how Jo had become a vigilante 2.0, without any further investigation or reply from Jo, and other parties. Jo ended up in a small media storm, gaining maximum exposure, and hopefully gets the debate going on privacy and social media! [to be continued]

But let’s get back on topic! Fixing the media…
Media itself is part of a perfect storm, who comes around ones in lifetime….there is a huge media shift happening because of the content explosion and change of media control. More and more people are becoming self serviced human beings regarding media usage (you watch TV whenever you want with delayed viewing, a non linear approach of linear media). This means a huge shift (and problem) for linear (media)companies.

The social media is the new internet (check for recent research on this topic – or soon in Flat World Education), which means this is a major part of your business as usual.  But instead of seeing social media as new business entity, you should look at social media as something that runs through your whole organisation and will affect every department in your organisation. This means your company will become completely transparent and accountable 24/7! This is a huge challenge, but will make companies smarter in the end.

And off course traditional media companies (like television stations, newspapers, ….) are in for a huge shift. Those media companies need to look for a complete new business model to survive the new media paradigm. But for the moment they don’t seem to bother at all…they push there traditional media in an online channel, or develop an app….but don’t rethink the business (model)! It still a long way untill we’ll have 24/7 up to date news with background stories embracing the dialogue….

But as always: embrace innovation, don’t underestimate in the long run but don’t overestimate it in the short run!

Movie Time – Connected , PressPausePlay and (dis)Connected

Digital culture and the fact of being in the connected revolution are the themes driving this movies /documentaries entering theatres this fall. From my point of view, both a must see, since they deal with hot topics regarding our every day society.

Connected

Just think about this basic questions? Do they apply to you as well?

Have you ever faked a restroom trip to check your email?
Slept with your laptop?
Or become so overwhelmed that you just unplugged from it all?

If so, or when these questions sound familiar, director Tiffany Shlain takes you on an exhilarating rollercoaster with the movie connected. In search of what it means to be connected in the 21st century. Equal parts documentary and memoir, the film unfolds during a year in which technology and science literally become a matter of life and death for the director. As Shlain’s father battles brain cancer and she confronts a high-risk pregnancy, her very understanding of connection is challenged. Using a brilliant mix of animation, archival footage, and home movies, Shlain reveals the surprising ties that link us not only to the people we love but also to the world at large. A personal film with universal relevance, Connected explores how, after centuries of declaring our independence, it may be time for us to declare our interdependence instead.
[Adapted from: http://connectedthefilm.com/the-film/synopsis/]

After watching both trailers, you might want to check out: what’s next?
Reactions are always welcome though the comment section….but this movies, the film really got me thinking!

PressPauzePlay

Is different kind of movie….not a documentary, more a philosophical anthem on digital culture, the fear and hope which are surrounding it. Popular artist show us insights on how the digital culture invades in our lives and what it does to us and our society.
This movie is build around several questions, and an esthetically approach with 21st digital “celebs” like Moby, Robin, … but also Seth Godin, …

DISconnected

An MTV production, so something completely different…but interesting as well! Check  out the trailer and show!

 

 

CircleMe to join myself!

We had MySpace, Netlog, Hyves, … sorry, they are all still up and running social platform but once they were really hot, now not anymore (or at least less hot than they used to be, or only hot in very limited geographical areas or with special interest groups). The war of the social platform…for the moment won by Facebook (as you know: If Facebook was a country it with be the 3rd country in the world), but maybe the war on platforms is moving away from its true value. Facebook will remain big and in business for at least a couple of years. Google+ is growing, but still doesn’t touch Facebook knees! So it’s time to rethink te platform war, and come up with something else…location based (was one), social commerce (was another), … and now we have CircleMe (yet another).

CircleMe uses your Facebook (f.i.) as its data platform and don’t focus on you(r status updates) or your friends, but focus on your interests and likes in different categories. This way you get an overview on what you’re interested in….and then who shares these interests with you! It’s another way of connecting people! A 360 circle of you are, what you do, what you love doing, … seems to be the new approach for social networking! Look at the Facebook Timeline (even WordPress installed a Timeline theme – maybe should look into that! )….

CircleMe should take this up a notch, as I understand it, because CircleMe works with your interests, likes, … to find connections that have a similar circle/interest. So basically you’re looking for yourself! Again interesting to see where this will take us…but a nice example on semantic and executing web use!

Be shure to check this introduction movies on how it works and the basic philosophy behind CircleMe.

You can sign up for an invitation to the beta version here!
Once you’re in and have a profile, you can share your CircleMe through your Facebook. So CircleMe uses a different approach than Facebook and rather collaborates then battles for the platform! To be continued….

Flat Education – Share your story! Co-creation works!

Since some students ask me to share articles, links and other cool stuff. I’m opening up a post, on which can be commented with a relevant article, web link, …

That’s what I call co-creation! Maybe I missed something, or didn’t I spent attention to a post with should be on this blog or in my classes….This is your chance to co-create my/your/our content! If relevant and sticky, I’ll pick it up through commenting on it, posting blog post dedicated to this specific subject or even take it into class…

Facebook keeps up the challange! Are you?

As reported earlier Facebook is introducing Facebook 2.0 with a lot of new features and looks like the Timeline, Social Apps, …. As always change creates resistance, some people think this is cool, other think it sucks! Especially young people find the new feel, look and features of Facebook cool and nice, while older people tend to be more sceptical (change is always difficult, especially when you adopt slower!)?

But maybe this time our young generation (digital natives) needs to be aware of the impact of this change for other reasons then the older generations (digital immigrants). While digital immigrants have a problem with finding all the new features and menu’s for proper use, most of the digital natives have already found a back-entrance to create their Timeline….unaware off opening up their complete Facebook history (not to mention their whole internet history, as Facebook seems to be tracking this as well – unaware off course!). (Privacy) settings weren’t always top priority when we posted stuff in the past. So every post, pictures, like, friend, share, event, …. you added without settings creates an item on the Timelins.  So you better make time to scroll down memory lane, and find oy what you have been up to on Facebook the last years…and start editing/curating your stuff (again).

So take the necessary time to create the proper lists, (privacy) settings, lay-out, …. before you unleash the Timeline! If used properly and controlled this is a really nice instrument, which can/will be used to give a nice overview on people’s lives! BUT be aware off what you share with whom….your boss, clients, …. don’t need to see your latest beach pictures of party updates, while your employer of colleague(s) want to know what you’ve keeps you busy (and especially job seekers need to create a Timeline for future employers, giving them accurate professional information on who they are, what their field of study and interest is, prior jobs, ….) The Timeline is a strong instrument to be used this way!

Good luck picking up the challenge!

 

PEW research on the digital native

Reading, writing & research in the digital age is the title of a PEW research institute on how the digital revolution has influenced the digital native. Interesting round-up of figures, stats and graphs on media use of the digital natives (up until 2009)….and that’s the one down part of this research it’s only until 2009. You, and me, know that 2 years time in a digital age is a lifetime….but still these figures confirm most insights we already knew about digital natives! I’ll round-up the best….you can scroll to through the whole presentation at the end!

• In less than 10 years time Internet usage of teens (12-17y) and young adults (18-29y)  as grown to almost 95%. But we still see a significant difference between all adults and youngsters Internet use (although the oldest generations are also finding their way on to the Internet).
• 98% of teens use the Internet for school assignments. 48% does so on daily basis.
• Youngsters are more likely to share content, remix and blog then adults.
• The gap of cell phone ownership between parents (90%) and teens (75%) narrows!
• 35% of youngsters own a smart phone.
• Teens still use their cell phone most of the time to text message (or take pictures)
• AnyTime, Any Where and Any Place is the new ecosystem of teens.
• 82% of 14-17 year olds are active on a social network system.

And this is only 2009….wonder what 2011 brings!

Facebook 2.0 or 3.0

Facebook finally made the jump….skipping the tradition, dumping the classic Facebook feel and copy…for a whole new Facebook experience! A lot of small changes were made in the last couple of days (like the list popping up), and with the F8-conference yesterday a lot of new stuff was to be expected (and unofficially announced).  Rumours said it was gonna be big….and yes it’s a huge transformation! Introduction of the timeline, and Social Apps integration…a whole new Facebook experience is going live on september 30th.

So is this Facebook 2.0….probably better Facebook 3.0. Facebook shows your life as a timeline to who you views your profile….I tested it this morning in the developer center, and wow it is cool (but apparently Facebook has taken it off-line again….sad, and I didn’t even take a screen..but we wait until the end of september for the full live version – only 7 days to go). With the app integration we can see who’s doing what, listening to which song and watching his new pictures, sport achievements, …. Bottom line, Facebook wants us to share more and more. this way we can create intense personal connections with our different networks….

But is the real goal Facebook has in mind….probably yes, BUT what’s in it for Facebook. Easy the more we share, the more data they have on us, the better they can create our full profile. And a good profile can be sold to advertisers, other third-party companies, …. for big hard money! Facebook will use this data silo to generate new executing tools who help you in creating a more personal approach…Facebook will do your thinking!

Since Google launched Google+, Facebook stepped up a notch integrating the stuff that Google+ introduced….So is Google+ dead already? They try hard, getting your attention, on the Google+ going Live.  But since almost 800 million users are already on Facebook, it will be hard for Google to be a real competition. The only way out is a full integration of all the online Google App-stuff with the Google+….and then it might get interesting for education and business to get social through Google+!

Exciting Times!