I found our discussion on the possibility of an emerging global culture very interesting. As an anthrolopology major in undergrad, I spent quite a bit of time exploring the notion of globalization and culture. While I am not convinced that we will ever have what can be considered a global culture, I think it's important to look at the evolution of cultures around the world when we think about the future of the world's culture. I think there were some pretty strong adverse reactions to this idea in class the other day. Mia mentioned that she would never partake in a global culture if there was one. Others mentioned that it was inevitable. I think the reality falls somewhere in between. As technology has evolved, cultures inevitably become more integrated. Culture is the learned behavior of one human by another. As such, no culture ever exists in isolation. Studies of cultural groups that developed independent of one another show us that culture can and does evolve and change over time. Archaeological studies show that early migrations started in the northern regions of what is now Asia and traveled across a land bridge and down the coast of what is now North and eventually South America. The cultures, norms and mores of people in Mongolia and people in China evolved from the same small group of people. The divergence of these cultures can be attributed to the lack of communication between these peoples, but the similarities can be tied to a common heritage and the passing on of traditions and beliefs from one generation to another. Culture today emerges in a much different manner because we have such advanced methods of communication and we have instant access to people around the globe. Arguments have been made that this kills culture, and that the free flow of information makes people abandon their heritage and their "true" culture. I would argue that this exchange of information, while much more advanced than it used to be, is a) no different from how culture has always emerged and changed and b) inevitable. Will we ever become "one" culture? I don't think so. I believe that there are too many people in too many places for us all to become homogenous. However, I think if we look at the trajectory of human interaction over the history of the world, we will see that the interaction of one culture with another always results in a change or adaptation of both cultures. 

Oh Canada

Canadian Business recently ran an interesting article on how US energy policy might affect the Canadian economy. It follows what we discussed yesterday in class, that technology is one of Canada's most important industries, and touts that the effect new policy might have on green technology in Canada could be Canada's light at the end of the tunnel. Canada seems to get many things right, and its commitment to green technology and higher environmental standards positions it quite well to be a leader in this field. 

Technology on the campaign trail

I had the good fortune to attend Barack Obama's inauguration on January 20th. It was an unprecedented event by many measures. The predictions that nearly 5 million people would flood into Washington D. C. for this historic were perhaps a bit overstated, but nevertheless it was the largest, most peaceful crown Washington has ever seen for an inauguration. 

Regardless of your politics, it is hard to argue that the Obama for America campaign exploited technology and in a way no politicial campaign ever has before. Its exploitation of the social networks that are so central to the way young Americans communicate is arguably one of the smartest campaign decisions Axelrod and his team made during this campaign. The availablity of information and the easy dissemination of this informaiton allowed Obama's team to reach a broader audience on a more personal level than any other candidate ever has. 

The effectiveness of this campaign was evident in Washington last weekend. Will.i.am alone made some bold new technological forays into the world of celebrity endorsement during the campaign. His YouTube video "Yes We Can" that has been viewed nearly 16 million times to-date and his hologram appearance on CNN on election night made him one of the biggest celebrity endorsers of the campaign, and a crowd favorite at the Lincoln Memorial inauguration concert on Sunday afternoon. 

The Obama campaign seems to have had a thorough understanding of all 5 rules of capitalizing on new markets and business models. 

#1 It was able to tap into the long tail of the youth vote. 

#2 It proved that the campaign's "customers" valued digital content.

#3 From Will.i.am's virtual appearance to house parties that brought constituents together via live feed to a teleconference, the campaign created virtual spaces in which voters could participate directly in the campaign.

#4 It trusted the network by putting content into the hands of the users and allowing users to distribute this information.

#5 The campaign truly embraced its "customers" by inviting them to participate and hearing their opinions.