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This is my favorite talk I’ve given so far. No notes, no real prep… just sharing my views about the web, the co-evolution of humanity and our technologies, and where we might be taking ourselves.
“Fall Conference 2011 Introduction and Social Media and the Evolution of Consciousness, Presented on 10/15/11, Venessa Miemis
Venessa Miemis is a writer and digital ethnographer, exploring how social media is transforming communication, collaboration, and commerce in a network society. She is currently Executive Director for Contact, a participatory festival that highlights opportunities for new forms of p2p culture, governance, and collective action. Her recent projects include The Future of Facebook, a 6 part video series, and Open Foresight, a methodology for engaging experts and the public to create collaborative visions of the future together. She authors the blog, Emergent by Design.”
emergent by design 
Yes, very shareworthy insights. Thank you for all this. Lots of 30-60 second morsels in your flow.
❤
Thanks for being so honest. Inspirational!!
so glad you shared this Venessa. thank you.
love the format.. of a chat.
so many great insights..
Thanks for sharing it! Applause from the hall …
I’m often sucked into a world that only evaluates social media in a monetary/audience impact. How many extra viewers does twitter bring in? What is the economic ROI with social media and it was refreshing to hear an eloquence conversation of the human impact of social media in shaping individuals and interpersonal connections. Great job!
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Hi Venessa, thanks for sharing, really resonates, love the way you envision this emerging global consciousness through social media. It takes courage to present yourself vulnerable. I think that’s where the real “authority” is: in vulnerable authenticity. You inspired me to write a small blog http://louisdietvorst.wordpress.com/2012/03/16/from-opaque-authority-to-vulnerable-authenticity/
Powerful messages, thank you. I wasn’t aware of your involvement with the CONTACT conference, which I was attracted to by Rushkoff’s warning about potential Internet control or shutdown. Still a concern. Your three categories (learning, trust, identity) was very insightful.
Thanks for posting your talk, Venessa. I didn’t think I was going to be able to spare an hour, but I did. I’m glad you were able to persuade Douglas Rushkoff that there is ‘something worth doing here’. Most of my own work is in the global virtual work space, centered particularly on creating value together across borders through creating human connections, rather than just technological connections. The levels of worker disengagement around the world are staggering, resulting in so much wasted talent and, ultimately, wasted lives.
Two issues came up in your talk that I’m fascinated by:
1. You talked about the layers of persona we apply to ourselves. That’s certainly true, but I’m not sure there is an easy way to achieve ‘authenticity’ in the workplace, especially at this time when trust in managers and leaders is so low. Perhaps we can only hope for more functional personas. A character in one of my books – Where in the World is My Team – said that he would rather work with a functional persona than a dysfunctional authentic!
2. I thought the question that was raised, “What place does authority have?” is a very difficult one. I am all for shared and fluid leadership in collaboration, but that’s easier said than done, particularly given our current individualistic incentive systems.
Thanks again for your talk. I appreciated its breadth and humanity. I’d love to connect if you are able; I know time and attention are limited resources. You can find me at http://virtualteamwork.blogspot.com. Very good luck to you.
Hello!
I found it rather intriguing what you said about persona, identity & true self. It reminds me of myself when I was younger and I was searching for truth and understanding of myself & human nature in general.
If you are interested in maturing & developing yourself further as person I have some advice for you:
The enlightenment, satori that is focused on in Buddhism and some other religions is very real. It is a higher state of consciousness that lets you see things more clearly, see your strengths & weaknesses within yourself (& other people oo) and you these things affect you as person, how these things drive you etc.
Please don’t misunderstand my intentions here, I am not trying to convince you into joining some religion. In fact you don’t really need religion or any special techniques at all; A genuine search for truth and a willingness to honestly confront moral issues is enough (or at least that how it was for me when I first experienced enlightenment/satori).
Feel free to ask questions if you have any.
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‘…in this hyper connected space we are just minds that are interwoven’ – Yes, totally agree!
Love it Venessa, fantastic talk – pure authenticity which we just don’t see enough of.
Great talk Venessa. Especially enjoyed the beginning where you spoke about online media as a tool breaking down the sense of self. I’ve never thought about it that way, but it’s absolutely true. I’ve thought about it as capable of producing empathy without the real world baggage, but the way you describe was beautiful. Thank you
Thank you, Venessa, for posting this conversation. I’m seeing the same thing in my own online experience. Not quite in the same way that you are, but similar in that people are discovering parts of themselves that are being validated by the connections made both online and in direct proximity.