Pen and Paper vs Twitter
September 7, 2009
I’ve had this theory about technological innovation for a while and I’ve been thinking about it again last week while on a lovely break in Tuscany. This is by no means anything I have researched, just a gut feeling.
Why is it that the further north you go in Europe the better technological innovations you get? The Swedes are the most prolific digital heads and the work coming from Sweden is always groundbreaking and new and beautiful. Skype, Spotify – Swedish. Nokia – Finnish. To name a few. Can anyone think of an Italian or German example?
Know what? I think it’s the weather. It’s no coincidence that the UK with it’s rubbish weather is so far ahead with digital life and the uptake of digital innovations and interactive campaigns. In Sweden it’s dark most of the year. What do you do? You make stuff. In Italy it’s outside life. Piazza, pizza.
Yes, I am sure it’s the weather.
I am a digital addict, I love everything about it. I live my life online trough Twitter, Flickr you name it.
But here’s the thing. Sitting outside a farmhouse in the middle of Tuscany with fireflies buzzing and crickets chirping, slowly getting drunk on the best wine in the world, even I don’t need Twitter.
Just pen and paper will do.
October 9, 2009 at 8:36 am
That sounds like perfection. I was recently in Darwin in the bush, and no digital media was used for three weeks. Ok, a slighty lie, I had my laptop for work, but I spent alot of time without paying the £6 p/min roaming charges! Was quite good. Obviously I arrive d at Heathrow and was twittering about that fact before the seat belt sign was off.
October 12, 2009 at 10:34 am
Florian,
I agree. I think social networking should be reinvented in a retro-esque fashion. Ban mobiles – use a payphone, arrange to meet places , and send letters by post.
It’s good to remind yourself that we can live pre-1980s style if needed and should sometimes…
Now where’s my iPhone…
October 23, 2009 at 5:15 pm
Take a read of Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond; it’s the history of why it was the Europeans who conquered the rest of the world and not visa versa – much to do with the geography: latitudinal as opposed to longitudinal distribution of the European countries. I think this goes for Technology development as well.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guns,_Germs,_and_Steel
selah