Innovation: The Who's Where's and How's

The move from text to visual is clear; we are in the middle of it. What is also clear is that attention spans are becoming shorter and that "movement" and "snappiness" in visual communications is becoming a must. This will be the new normal. A new and interesting perspective regarding the synergy of these trends, is that they will become essential if a business is to be able to communicate adequately with its new workforce which is now composed of digital natives that have grown up accustomed to these traits. This past Monday I participated in the Streaming Media East event in NYC and in an after-show get together (sponsored by investment bankers I might add) I got into a conversation with the CEO of a company that basically helps companies distribute information effectively behind its firewalls. He is the one that brought this point to the forefront and it is absolutely right on. It is a known fact that these new generation of workers do not abide by the old rule...

The cancellation of my trip to Germany today this week prompts me to write this blog entry and connect a couple of insights that have been swimming in my mind. The first is how inadequately prepared we are to deal with this basic and “distant” threat. I say “distant” because our social institutions have taught us to sort of be dismissive of these things as if we were above them. I have been very forceful and critical of these facts (in particular towards our religious institutions) in my writings. We dismiss our basic nature and instincts to our peril. The terrifying side of our dismissive attitude as a species is that we leave behind unresolved challenges. The list is long and expansive: birth control, teen pregnancy, sex education, drug legalization, public health preparedness, financial regulation, the environment, etc…These are fundamental ecosystems that have to be addressed and reformed but have not. We move on to the next thing, drunk with our self congratulatory and ego-centere...