Sunday, June 10, 2012

TED talks videos

Both of the TED Talks videos were very interesting. They pointed out important details about our culture and todays social media.
The first video I watched featured Kevin Alloca. He basically discussed how YouTube videos go viral and why it matters. What is so enthralling about web videos is their ability to make it so that any of us and any of the things that we do can become famous. He goes on to point out the three things that contribute to a video going viral. 1. Taste-makers. These are people, groups, organizations, etc. that introduce us to new and interesting things and bring them to a larger audience. They are able to "take a point of view and share that with a larger audience which accelerates the process of popularity." 2. Communities of participation. These communities take the video from its original form to something we can all actually be part of and interact with. This is how we become part of the phenomenon. 3. Unexpectedness. "Only that which is really unique and unexpected can stand out." A viral video needs to have a quality that is original and captivating. All of this is important because taste-makers, communities of participation, and unexpectedness are all characteristics of a new kind of media. In this new media the audience decides the success, fame, and polarity of the video.
The second video featured Seth Godin. He discussed leadership. Leaders form tribes. Tribes are basically groups of people who are organized together and agree on a common idea. They are about leading and connecting people. The internet makes tribes very accessible to people everywhere. Now we can join a tribe because we want to, not because we have to. What these tribes do is form other tribes, and so on, and so on, until a movement is formed. This is the impact of leaders, someone who forms an opinion or idea that requires change and actually does something about it. Godin notes the three characteristic of leaders. 1. They challenge the status quo. 2. They build a culture. A leader needs followers (tribes). 3. They commit. An idea is useless without the will and determination to make it happen no matter what.

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