I've been preoccupied with the Toronto Film Festival.
Apocalypse. Doomsday. Armageddon. The end of the world, the end of days, the end times. People seem desperate, and even impatient, for things to fall apart. I guess people always have, but it seems to be getting worse, and the danger is that it allows people to feel good about not living sustainably - because they don't think they have to.
We live in an era of celebrity, when people can tweet "read this" or "see this" and millions follow suit. Crazy. I don't think the times we are living in are overly "dark" in reality, I do think this is how they are reported to us via the media. Over 90% of the news and information we receive is "negative". Do you think that over 90% of your interactions and experiences outside of media are negative? I sure don't. Hope you enjoyed the festival.One can attempt this exercise with any selection of current cultural artefacts, from top ten iTune songs to current best-selling novels.
-I think if we were to look at the top 10 books, we'd be shocked at the influence of one particular person. I was talking with a manager of a Barnes and Noble store recently and she told me that when Oprah releases her current pick for the Oprah Book Club they will sell close to 100 of them the same day it's announced. Keep in mind it's not announced until 4:00pm. Now thats some major market influence.
Good points... but it's not just the media. Artists are witnesses as well as creators.
Next I will look at the ten most recent posts to Hubski and see if I can draw different conclusions about the zeitgeist. Question: if I just click "lurk" do I get a random selection of recent postings?
Good question. I'm not entirely sure of the method mk is using for this but I'd guess it's a mix of activity and most recent. So, even an older post can make it to the lurk page if people are viewing/sharing/commenting on it still. I think it would actually work for your needs since it is not just the most recent but also the most acted upon posts. I look forward to reading that!
Did you do a "shout-out" in it? If so, make sure that the name is properly spelled. Yesterday a post I made using a shout-out to fr33lunch wouldn't work because I spelled it freelunch. Other than that, it should be fine. So far as I know there is no limitation on reply size. That said, I would suggest making it a post so that more people see it. I think it's a cool idea. You could provide a link to the original discussion for context. Just a thought.
A discussion with newgreen made me wonder whether the Hubski “lurk” list could provide a partial view into the Hubski zeitgeist. Here are my conclusions based on the top-ten postings listed on "lurk," September 25, 2012: The postings suggest a hopeful, fun-loving, community, not dark, but not naively optimistic either. • We value language, not just as a tool to communicate, but as a source of joy. Gaming is also a source of joy, as is beer. • We value the community of social networks, but also wonder about their adverse effects. We want more ways of expressing our emotions and becoming known and understood by others. • We care very much about the environment, and hope that technology can solve the problems that technology created. We also hope technology can help us understand better what we are and make us more perfect. If someone feels they need to use technology to launch Thomas the Tank Engine into space, we enjoy that too. • We want our politicians and their aides to be effective and responsible (but we giggle a little at their battles with the press and the pressure). Conclusions are based on these posts: 1. Ask Hubski, what is your favourite word 2. Tesla launches supercharger stations for rapid charging on long-distance trips 3. Heroic: First Successful Play test (a.k.a. I swear I’m developing as fast as I can!) 4. Decentralizing social networks 5. Ah, more smart diplomacy from Hilary and Barack 6. Scientists see upside and downside of sequencing their own genes 7. How I make beer 8. Outside of Powell’s books 9. Mind-reading tail lets you wag when you’re happy, just like a dog 10. Toy train in space
Badged for effort and for content! I agree with your conclusion, we seem to have a fun group that isn't too cynical but also isn't naive. -A tough line to tow. Sorry it was difficult to post this, as I mentioned I had the exact same problem yesterday. mk said that he will make the error page a bit more friendly.
Yeah, I didn't enjoy that posts comments or overall "vibe" at all. There have only been a few moments on the site that have made me upset and that was one of them. That said, I spend a ridiculous amount of time on Hubski and if there have only been a "few", well it has to be a pretty neat place, right? That said, I've been meaning to get to your "identity" post but have not had the chance for the quiet introspection that I think it deserves.