#robin teigland

[jannickej]

Strategi Pontus Wadström, Svante Schriber, Robin Teigland och Matti Kaulio Liber

[wavinghandsaskingquestions]

About Richard Watson (and others)

Today, I was scrolling through RSAs channel on Youtube, in search for something amusing in the form of RSA Animate. By chance, I clicked on a thumbnail of a presentation by Richard Watson, about his new book called "Future Minds: How the Digital Age Is Changing Our Minds, Why This Matters and What We Can Do about It" Here's a link to the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SB72biU5e8

What began as a random background video playing on my laptop while I cook, turned out to be a very exciting half-hour experienced which I've enjoyed a couple of times during this evening. It also turned out to be one hell of a sales speech to a book which I'm eagerly waiting to have a chance at reading.

Mr. Watsons speech was inspiring to say the least. As I was watching the video for the second time, I noticed my notebook (yes, I use a notebook) filling with quotations and points which I really liked. Since I haven't yet had the chance to read the book, I'll just quote some of Watsons best insights and shape some sort of idea of my own around them. Hopefully, I'll get to look at this post after reading the book and review it with a wider understanding of these matters.

"Digital isolation" is something that I've myself also had some thought on. In the Good Mornign 2020 event Robin Teigland spoke in a positive way about virtual avatars and how these services such as Second Life area reshaping the future of doing business (link to the video: http://vimeo.com/17071131). I haven't really looked into the presentation after the event, but I remember listening to it and thinkin "how can this person talk about this as a positive thing?". The future which she was visioning sounded more like a dystopia to me. I believe that what Richard Watson is saying at the RSA, is somewhat linked to what Robin Teigland was saying but with a different way of seeing the future. One of the best quotes which I'd like to raise from Watsons presentation is this one:

"Originality relies largely on thinking that is deep, serious. Creativity is largely dependent on thinking that is calm, concentrated, focused, attentive and, above all, reflective."

I personally suffer from difficulties with concentrating when I am working on a computer. I like to work with pen and paper, and to not be connected whilst trying to think and concentrate. This is probably the reason why working in a virtual space, filled with mere avatars of real people sound terrible to me. I am "a sucker for distraction". But I'm not saying that being connected wouldn't be good. I know many people who don't suffer from difficulties with concentration when working wit a computer and to find fast and easy info I also use the internet. And for social purposes, I use it a lot. But still, I think the best ideas and insights are formed through social interaction, and by that I mean REAL social interaction. And so I can bring out the next anecdote:

"Ideas are inherently social; they need fysical interaction if they are to florish"

Virtual spaces might be good for meetings and such where there is no need for new ideas, but that's as far as they get. That is, at least with this generation. Who knows what the next one will be adapted to. I do believe that to some level, technology has de facto enhanced human relationships. However, what Alf Rehn saw that Facebook has done to fandom has also happened to friendship. Nowadays friendship is just a few clicks away, but is that really friendship? 

One more thing I would like to end up this messy post is a thought about one of the last points that Richard Watson made in his presentation. I think he said something like this:

"We need time and space to think"

Many of these highly praised companies, big and small alike, are creating offices with thinking spaces. On international level there has been a lot of talk about he offices of Google and Facebook. The very popular blog "The Cool Hunter" seems to be filling up with vitty office psaces made to spark the ideas of people. In Finland, the Aalto University Design Factory has gotten a lot of attention, due to it's unconventional use of space. So one could say that the space to think is being taken care of, but are companies and communities also creating the actual time to think? I don't know, but I'd like to find out.

There's a bunch of other stuff in Richard Watsons presentation which I'd like to have a word about, but since it's getting late and I can't operate on a rational level once I get tired I'm going to stick to saying sayonara for the time being!

Yours truly,

WHAQ