Flynn Coleman on how technology reshapes society. Digital storytelling can drive social change. Big data and transparency matter for building trust in communities, and entrepreneurs have a responsibility to use these tools for good.
Chapters
So the digital age, and I do teach technology and kind of how do we create change and how are we doing storytelling in the digital age. So I'm very passionate about this idea. But it's really exciting to be living in the digital age. Now, as my friend here pointed out, and I do teach mindfulness, in a way we're more connected than ever but more disconnected than ever. So there's huge issues with the fact that we kind of think in 140 characters. Like, our brains are meshing with Google, the studies are showing. And this idea of really losing our attention span. These are real issues, and I talk about them all the time. Yes, they're problematic. However, here's my stance on technology. Whether you love it or you hate it, it's here to stay. So how do we leverage it for good? For me, that's the only question. Right? Love it or hate it, it's here. I mean, on the one hand, people can be sitting at the dinner table and not even connecting. On the other hand, I can tweet at a farmer in Ghana and he might get back to me like ASAP. Right? So it's how do we leverage it for good? It's here to stay. So being in the digital age is really exciting. And it's exciting for a lot of reasons. So of course it's exciting for storytelling. I teach this subject. I'm passionate about it. But this idea of being able to tell your story and also to disperse the story to the entire world. Is anyone familiar with this Instagram account? It's from the Photo Society. So this is a National Geographic duo of Randy Olson and Neil Shea, and what they do is they go around the world and take pictures and write essays and put them on Instagram. I have a similar account called Citizen Stories with my friend who's a photographer. And there are so many ways now for us to tell our story, to create things. You know, as Seth Godin says, you know, just keep creating your art, keep putting it out there. And you never know what's going to go viral or who you might connect with. Big data is another one. I recently gave a talk on artificial intelligence that talks about big data. But we can use data for good now, which is really exciting. It can be used for evil, anything can, but it can also be used for good. And all the studies are coming in to show how we can use data to leverage an understanding of human behavior for good. Awareness, you can spread the word about your idea. I mean, before, like there were so many barriers to entry that we wouldn't be sitting here. You wouldn't be able to just start a business unless you're one of the lucky few. Now, of course, on the one hand it means it's a very crowded space. On the other hand, like, anyone can start a business. Transparency. So technology can be used for propaganda, obviously, but it can also be used to create transparency. You know, you can figure out information. You can find the answers to things if you look. Now, this is a tricky one because everyone is seeing everything through a filter. So have you noticed how, like, you agree with everything in your Facebook feed? You know, we're kind of primed, biologically speaking, to go towards things that validate what we already know. So just as a side note, you know, the more open we are to new ideas, the more we're going to learn. And then this idea of community. We're all sitting here in these beanbag chairs. We're all hanging out. And that's, you know, technology brought us together. So there's a lot of ways the digital age can really help us with entrepreneurship and innovation. And then, of course, the famous Apple campaign that started in '78. You know, this is what we're talking about. Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules and they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them, because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do. So really the only question is, like, Do you think you're crazy enough to do it? Yeah.
