butterbeep

sxsw two

So as the information starts to settle and I am able to view the events and experiences of last week through a clearer lens a few things have struck me as being important, and it would be good to hear if fellow attendees concur or not - one of my determinations for 2009 is to seek out disagreement, which doesn’t mean roam the earth looking for trouble - after I met @danpatterson in Austin I checked out the creepysleepy podcast and listened to a panel episode in which someone pointed out that one of the great dangers of social media and information filtering is that you can surround yourself with like-minded people and never hear an opposing argument.

I was also struck by the sheer amount of noise and bullshit in the air. People queuing for hours to get into VIP parties; celebrity-spotting and VC-stalking; insular and narcissistic attitudes. In short, the worst of the West and the kind of unattractive phenomena that surround any suddenly fashionable pop culture arena.

So my hashtag of the moment is #noisegate. I did manage to speak to people who had ideas above and beyond the latest fad or social network, people with an interest in social empowerment and the enabling of the average joe outside the echo chamber, and heard enough counterargument and good old fashioned common sense to give me hope that some of this stuff has legs and may even allow us to impact the wider world in a lasting and valuable way.

I’m not a party-pooper by any means and relished the moquitos, the geek buzz, the parties and the gadgetry, but I went with an agenda, and for me sxsw really starts when you get home, dust yourself down and start putting real ideas into practice.