Thinking Digital, Acting Personal
If there’s one thing striking and perhaps puzzling about the Toronto high-tech community - and, for that matter, tech communities around the world - it’s how everyone is so digital/wired but so hungry to be personal.
For all the e-mail, Twitter-ing, Facebook-ing, IM-ing, Blackberry-ing and text-messaging, and all the time spent hunkered over computers, many people have this innate need to be together. It’s not enough to communicate digitally through various mediums; there must be personal contact - and so much the better if it involves beer.
DemoCamp 18 earlier this week is a good example. On a hot summer night, about 200 people crammed themselves into a sauna that’s usually a hip restaurant. The presentations were alright but it was more impressive to see so many people there. It struck me as a club where you get to meet with people who walk your walk and talk your talk.
I asked a recruiter, who was hanging out at the bar, if the size of the crowd had any correlation to activity within Toronto’s tech community. With a beer in hand, he looked around and said there was a “modest” amount happening but the enthusiasm in the room had more to do with networking and socializing.
What I find particularly interesting is how the need to talk stands in contrast with the fact people are loathe to talk on the phone - preferring instead to Twitter, IM, text or e-mail. Michael Arrington, who organizes many social events and conferences, recently wrote a post suggesting people not leave voice-mail messages because it takes longer to listen to a message than read it.
I’m not sure whether “paradox” is the right word but for all the digital chatter happening, people are still people with a desire/need to be analog. This explains the plethora of events, conferences (mesh is as much a social as a conference) and meet-ups, as well as why many people still flying around to meetings despite the time, energy and environmental impact involved.
Technorati Tags: democamp18
July 17th, 2008 at 10:53 am
1 million years of selection that rewards socialized, gregarious tendencies.
20 years of homodigital.
How is this striking or puzzling or different from any community anywhere?
/painfully obvious
July 17th, 2008 at 5:08 pm
You know, I’ve spent the last 12 days trying to decide whether I think the Arrington post was link-baiting or an just an indication of just how disconnected the 2.0 digerati are from the rest of the world (no offense Mark…I do enjoy your blog).
As a sales professional, I’m keenly aware of just how much business simply has to be done face to face. My customers put in multi-million dollar orders…they don’t want to be poked and they don’t want to be tweeted at. They want to look me in the eye, they want to share a meal or a cigar, they want to trust me and by extension, the company and the people I represent. And yes, when I’m not on-site with them, they want to pick up the phone and talk to me, leave a message if I’m not available, and have me call them back.
And lest you think this is just an “old world” business practice, and it’s just a matter of time before it all changes…I sell software that allows telecom providers to deploy IP video services. It’s pretty leading edge, but the same rules of human interaction apply as always have.
July 17th, 2008 at 5:12 pm
Erik,
I’m old-school as well. As much as I enjoy e-mail, Twitter, etc., I still a people person. Meeting someone once - even just for a few minutes - creates a deeper and longer-lasting connection than adding someone as your Facebook friend or Twitter follower.