Writers deal with editorial calendars, topics for articles, subjects for thought pieces. We try to plan ahead, storing paragraphs, sentences, resources, interviews; or an idea to follow up on or expand upon, thinking it might add that special something to make an article that much better.
With Destiny as the topic, numerous thoughts came to mind. We had a cat by that name, because it was destiny that she came into our lives. There are great pictures of that photogenic feline, but except for some family members, that might not be so interesting an article. My writing focus is Digital Strategy, so how best to approach this? Digital Destiny, what could this mean?
Some thoughts came to mind. The Internet of Things, rapidly gaining traction. Smart Cities, another hot topic. Automation of all sorts, driverless cars, robots, machines replacing humans. Yet all of these, interesting though they are, seemed old hat, covered already by every tech, financial and social or cultural publication.
What then, to do?
When in doubt, ask everybody. How to do that? Social Media. I posted this in all the usual places: I'm researching/doing prep for an article on Digital Destiny. Open to any & all thoughts. Feel free to email or DM me. Thanks in advance. In subsequent repeat posts I added: Afterthought: Some have asked what this means, "Digital Destiny" -- you tell me! What does it mean to you? What does it conjure up in your mind?
The response was overwhelming. Friends, clients, colleagues, second and third degree contacts, plus people from whom I hadn’t heard in ages, weighed in with their thoughts. The sentiment was varied, and in many cases rather dystopian. Women foresaw a darker future than men, a destiny of eugenic proportion.
- We will not be able to go dark from the Internet, connectivity is everywhere, motion always detected
- Recent events illustrate that advanced technology affords the world not only a chance for accelerated learning, but a platform to spread hate, fear and violence.
- I’ve found that tech helps me scale discovery of more like-minded people, but it has also generally made it easier for people to isolate themselves.
- The wonderful thing about digital when it comes to social media is that there is no destiny. There is serendipity, engagement and a little bit of luck. It's an adventure.
- How will digital computing affect the world? At the most basic level, it's really about the concept of software that challenges the notion of an intrinsic meaning. We can now use software to explicitly change what something is.
- The interactions between technology (esp. digital) and society, from the amazing connectivity we now take for granted to social media as addictive platforms, to whether digital is driving us together or apart. Any of these opens a big can of... er, conversation.
- Knowledge is not a commodity, but an emergent property of the network, much like consciousness arises in the brain. We live in darkening times, so it's not too surprising. Tech is almost always a double-edged sword, but I prefer to focus on the potential, because we are going to have to make conscious choices.
Since the request was for thoughts and opinions, not for direct quotes, none of the above have attribution, as it would be bad form to quote without permission. Further, since the response was so vast and covered so wide a swath of opinions and views, a more comprehensive analysis of the replies may soon be found on a Medium post.
My perception of digital destiny was the nearly complete inclusion of computing in most aspects of our lives. Aspects big and small: Calendars appearing on the mirror in the morning as one shaves or applies makeup or brushes their teeth; medical devices reporting via the cloud to update on conditions and offer alerts or modify medication or dosages; Apps similar to Waze calculating commute time, turning on the heat or air conditioning prior to one arriving home from work, school or a trip out of the house. These are the simple, obvious examples. Yet more measurement and support mode apps appear by the day. Netflix, Skype, and Amazon were once unimaginable; now they are part of everyday life.
As a post-script to the above: just before deadline, a note from the publisher cast a different spin on this topic. Destiny, as in how did we arrive at where we are – the rear view mirror, not the crystal ball. I always knew I’d be in media, the broadcasting bug bit me when I was 3 years old. Formats and programming fascinated me, even as a child. Creativity and analytics were of equal interest.
In college the record keeping and data around programming was a challenge to be conquered, while creativity ruled the roost. Math, music, ratings and analysis paved the way, and a radio career followed. Then came consulting stations and broadcasting groups, which led to computerizing programming and research for radio stations. Social media was an extension of the promotion and marketing we’d done for stations. Digital Strategy was, thus, my Destiny. As was, and is, writing this column.
