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The Optimism of the Web 2.0 Expo in Berlin

I dislike newspapers. I am sure I am not the only one, but I don’t need to have miserable news shouted at me every morning from headlines speaking of doom and gloom. I know that newspapers are in the business of making money, and I know that bad news, crisis and disaster always sells, but that doesn’t mean I have to partake of it willingly. There are times when I get so sick of the depressing news that I walk through the city with my eyes on my feet so as not to have to read any more of the screaming headlines.

This was the current environment which was dominating a lot of media when I boarded the plane to go to Berlin. Arriving in Germany, I could feel the shadow of it following me as I made my way to my hotel. So you can see why I was so wonderfully surprised after spending three days surrounded by a large crowd of people who were all living each day with so much optimism about the future, it almost neutralised the reports of recession, war and disaster. In particular, Tim O’Reilly really inspired me, both through his opening presentation, and through the round table discussion which I had the pleasure of attending on the Wednesday morning.

Tim’s vision of the future is incredibly optimistic. He sees collaboration as something which can only enrich us and help us to grow and develop in ways which we can still only imagine. Tim talked about how the collective intelligence was driving technology forward – the wisdom of the crowds working just as it should. He didn’t seem to have any fear that the social web would be a passing fad, or something that would be dismissed by conservative businesses as childish or irrelevant. He likened the seismic shifts on the internet to the shift to personal computing 30 odd years ago. There were plenty of conservatives and nay-sayers then. But now personal computing was a ubiquitous part of our every day lives. He sees collective and social media as following in that path.

I have to admit, I found that incredibly uplifting. I see so much good in social media. The traditional media may still be peppering us with internet horror stories continuously but if we remember what the purpose of the traditional media seems to be at the moment (tell bad news, sell papers) then it makes it easier to see these kind of tales of woe in perspective. Why it takes someone like Tim O’Reilly speaking at a conference (which is admittedly something of a bubble) to offer the positive side of the picture, I don’t know. His words should be making the headlines, not the words of story starved journalists and media moguls who are watching their profits begin to slip.

I agree that things in the world probably aren’t as rosy at the moment as they have been. I agree that the crash that we are experiencing now is an inevitable swing of the pendulum, bearing in mind the bullish behaviour of the past five years in many industries. But I also think that it won’t stop the incredible changes in communication, socialisation and collaboration which the internet is bringing. In fact, I would almost go as far as saying that this kind of thinking is what will pull the world through. Working with others to harness and then spread the collective intelligence can only have a positive effect. Like Tim, I suspect that in 10 years time, when the 2008 crash is relegated to recent history, those companies who have resisted technological advances will have been left far behind without the ability to conduct business with the rest of the digital and community driven world.

Optimistic? Perhaps, but I couldn’t help but feel that way as my plane took off from Tegel Airport last Friday morning.

When asked about his role in this, he was humble

There are a number of links to the round table discussion which I would like to share. In particular, Andrea Vascellari has written a number of posts and provided video, all tagged tim o’reilly. Adam Tinworth produced a post incredibly quickly after the event, which included a less than attractive photograph of me (apparently it was the best of three…) and Martin Koser and Berlinblase also posted good round ups.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 29th, 2008 at 1:19 pm and is filed under Web2.0 Expo Europe. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

  • Please give me more information. I love it, Thanks again.
  • I agree with your point that internet has developed a lot and we can view or read news online with lots of interesting stuffs. but there are still places which are really unreachable to these places and thus they need newspapers to get themselves acquainted with knowledge!!! anyways thanks for your nice post!!
  • The media has allot to answer to answer for!

    No news is good news for me.
  • only soluton is unity. if we stay togehter we will make it. The newspaper are not interested in freedom and peace. They want us to make trouble - so they can write there bull*****
  • But I also think that it won’t stop the incredible changes in communication, socialisation and collaboration which the internet is bringing........
  • Thanks for sharing, I am sure it must have been productive.
  • Thanks for your post, was nice to know..
  • It would be great to watch Tim O'Reilly on his presentations, I am sure must be useful to you..
    I usually miss these kind of events, it is really helpful to be a part of expos..
  • I understand the point you made for newspapers, but again I would say newspaper are a source of news to us, in a busy world like today it is difficult to keep up. Newspaper really help us keep track of what all is happening, but yes it is not the only source too so one can afford to skip..
  • That is the same reason why I have stopped reading the news papers completely and try to watch the news on TV as little as possible. I hate how it's driven by bad news, negativity, crisis and disaster. I follow 'my' news on Twitter and in blogs; much more optimistic most of the time looking at the opportunities.
  • Hey, you are just like me, i am also doing the same these days, twitter is far better than watching news channels on TV.


    Jessica
  • I really cannot think about my life without the newspaper it sounds really strange to avoid newspapers.. still the most convenient medium of news.
  • I agree the times are bad we get a lot of negative news, but in these crisis times it is very important to keep track of what is happening and what is not to make sure we dont take any move or decision which is not required..
  • Funny you say that, Erno. The last couple of days I have made a concerted effort NOT to look at the newspapers when I am heading up to London and to avoid the crisis filled headlines on Google news and elsewhere. I could feel how stressed and angry it was making me each day. Instead, I focus on reading a book or listening to a podcast. I do feel calmer. It's funny how reading the news can be a destructive addiction (which is why it is so powerful). We all want to be informed, but is it information or bias that we are subjected to?
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