8th July 2016
Forget Coding, we all need to learn to Curate. ‘We have always had gatekeepers that shape the things we pay attention to, from TV programmers to supermarket buyers. But now that every one of us has to select our experiences from a mind-boggling global range, there’s a real danger that our curatorial chops have not grown as quickly as the options on our digital plate, and the consequences can be dire.’
The Rise of Digital Democracy. ‘Digital tools and technologies have transformed the way we live and work. Could they transform our politics too? New technologies are not likely to be a silver bullet to the current predicament, but the lesson from cities across Europe is that they can play a critical role in engaging new groups of people, empowering citizens and forging a new relationship between cities and local residents.‘
Powerful infographic from @informationisbeautiful. Looking at conflicts since the start of the 20th century, with length of conflict mapped against frequency of mortalities. First Day of The Somme is the highest against the latter metric, but only just ahead of the Bangladesh Liberation War.
Alvin Toffler, the author of Future Shock (1970) has passed away. The film of the book featured Orson Welles talking to camera in its famous opening scene. ‘Our modern technologies have changed the degree of sophistication beyond our wildest dreams. But this technology has exacted a pretty heavy price. We live in an age of anxiety and time of stress. And with all our sophistication, we are in fact the victims of our own technological strengths –- we are the victims of shock… a future shock.’
Corbin,Trump,Brexit. Not only is Culture taking over from Class as the key political dynamic, but technology is increasingly being utilised by those who have historically not had a platform. ‘The anti-immigration, anti-one percent, anti-capitalism and anti-everything else we’re seeing right now isn’t just going to go away in a society where people feel their voices are not being heard. They’re going to continue to try to affect change, and increasingly, they will rely on technology. And it’s that same technology that is likely to ensure that all future wars bear little resemblance to previous ones.‘
From Vanity Fair. ‘Daddies, Dates and The Girlfriend Experience’. Here are new strategies to pay for student loans, make the rent, or afford designer labels. VF ask the question – ‘Is this just an unorthodox way to make ends meet or a new kind of exploitation?‘
What do we mean when we say Digital ? This definition struck me as pretty apt – ‘Applying the culture, practices, processes & technologies of the Internet-era to respond to people’s raised expectations.‘
The most successful Euro 2016 ad (in terms of times shared) was Nike’s The Switch , featuring Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo magically swapping places with an English teenager. This has been shared over 335,618 times.
GQ’s Kim Kardashian feature gave the magazine the two biggest site traffic days in their history. This video of the shoot will probably explain why.
Not entirely planned but uplifting nevertheless. A bald eagle soars to freedom during an unplanned part of the LA Dodgers July 4 Celebration.