If you were wondering why I’ve been so quiet today (probably not, but I like to imagine I’m missed), it’s because I’ve been at the Innovation Edge conference organised by NESTA (a UK body that funds innovation).
A celebrity line-up included Bob Geldof (using technology to help developing countries), Tim Berners-Lee (general musings on the future of the web) and a surprise appearance from Prime Minister Gordon Brown himself. Indeed, a rather impressive performance from my namesake, flourishing anecdotes about Einstein and General Montgomery and somehow (I forget how) linking them to innovation.
(I’ll stop putting comments in parentheses now. Sorry.)
The main attraction for me was a session entitled ‘Are online social networks the new cities?’. Chaired by NESTA Fellow Charlie Leadbetter, the panel comprised Michael Birch, the CEO and founder of Bebo; Sir Richard Leese, the head of Manchester City Council; and John Gisby, director of new media and technology at Channel 4.
The talk covered the role of social networks in society, ranging from education to business. Leese argued the need for both organic and institutional innovation in social networks, saying that government must know when to step in with legislation, but also when to step out. He also admitted to lurking on certain networks to learn about sections of the community that, as a politician, he’d never normally get close access to. His council are experimenting with new web technologies. He cited a recent You Tube video manifesto as an example. “Few people watched it,” he confessed, “but it brought us much more media attention than a paper manifesto.”
Bringing the conversation round to the global versus local debate, the Chair asked British-born Michael Birch why he’d decided to set up Bebo in San Francisco rather than his home nation. “Because my wife lived there,” quipped Birch, “But they also happen to have a thriving internet community. It’s a good job she didn’t live in Utah.”
Birch discussed how he models Bebo on a city, drawing analogies with real-world communities and conversations in bars. “When we first set Bebo up, there was no growth for two months. It’s like being the first in the bar. No one wants to be in that bar until it gets a busier. But nucleuses began to appear. They told their friends, and they told their friends, and the site began to grow.” (I’m paraphrasing here, by the way, as I’ve never installed shorthand into my abilities folder.)
This rang true with what we’re seeing on Nature Network. The first few months were pretty slow, but nuclei are now appearing—that’s you guys—and the site is growing. We’ll shortly be launching new local hubs (I know, we’ve been saying this for months!), which we hope will act as regional nuclei.
Despite lots of to-ing and fro-ing, the titular question was never adequately answered, despite plenty of opinionated insight. One audience member compared the challenge to traditional media as “like the dissolution of the monasteries”, another claimed the new landscape lowered the barriers for both altruism and hatred. One chap bemoaned this excess of anecdote and called for more evidence-based debate when it comes to the development of social networking. And there were the usual concerns about the digital divide, and the health of a society that spends all available hours chatting on the web.
Online conversation and connection is indeed ubiquitous, as we found out at the end of the discussion. The Chair read a few snippets from Twitter, which audience members had written during the talking—"Michael looks bored", “No way, he’s just relaxed”, etc. While discussion was taking place, a whole separate conversation about the discussion was happening that most of the audience were oblivious to. Now that’s what I call a digital divide.