Blue State Digital THINKS
I went to an event at the Hospital Club in London, hosted by the digital strategy agency Blue State Digital. Special guest was the writer and thinker Ben Hammersley.
- This event was perfect for live tweeting because Twitter is a collaborative note taking technology.
- This was an interesting framing of the discussion that followed: A recognition that a lot of new innovations are so 'bleeding edge' as to be of little practical use to campaigners. The presentation was instead focused on what trends are finally becoming mainstream.
- The first big trend is around 'Personalisation':
- The issue of 'The Right to Be Forgotten' is a deep one. We instinctively recoil at the idea of companies keeping personal data on us... but I find myself wondering precisely why companies cannot keep records of transactions to which they were a part? It takes two-to-tango, after all. I expect the answer lies somewhere in @Eastmad's thinking about the speed and ease with which data can be connected is where the invasion of privacy lies... not the collection and retention of data itself.
- The innovations in personalisation present risks for companies who try to be tooooo clever. First, there was a little bit of discussion about how companies can be 'creepy' when using mobile technology. For example, when one views a page for a product, and then one finds adverts for similar products on other webpages. A real feeling of being surveilled and stalked.
- However, later in the talk, Hammersley gave a few anecdotes on how social services can be 'companionable' and make you feel connected to other people, whether they are at the other end of your street or on the other side of the world.
- Which prompted this thought from yrstrly:
- ... by which I mean: A limited interaction with location based services (e.g. directions to venue) is fine. And if the deep personal connections you have made with other individuals is enhanced with location based services, that is also fine. But when companies start stalking you and trying to sell you products as you pass by shop windows... not fine.
- The fact that the developing world is coming online is a classic example of a trend going mainstream. We have been discussing this happening for years, but BSD now believe that the trend is mainstream, normal, routine. This is the tipping point at which we will see the technologies have a big impact.
