We’re facilitating the end of an era of excess. There is a new, powerful, and deep zeitgeist taking shape. One focused on better experiences, independent of wealth or power. People, especially teens, are increasingly making better, more holistic, more sustainable, more beautiful, more long-term, healthier choices. There is a strength of character around these choices emerging, and I’m getting excited about what it means.
This change is happening at an important time. As we align, especially on how we spend our time and money, we send powerful messages. Everyone is more connected, more sensitive, more open to influence, and more ‘on the brink’ than anyone imagines.
A recent study on teens released by Piper Jaffray has the ad world and top shareholders at a host of massive companies in a tizzy. To generalize: Facebook -> down, big brands -> down, meanwhile online shopping -> up, mobile gaming -> down, organic food -> up. BOOYAH!
This generation of teens, one of whom is my daughter, is already telling a powerful story of what is to come. They are good at listening, at sorting out the truth, the signal from the noise, and thus they may be smarter that any previous generation. They are aligning around things that just make sense. They are ignoring the gimmicks, throwing away falsehoods, and fickle sensibilities, (re)focusing on quality, and voting together with their time and dollars. I hope this is being heard as a warning at the top of monolithic generally indifferent organizations.
Since the widespread adoption of the printing press, it has been possible for small, powerful, interest groups to control mass media, and to pollute it. The youth of today are ‘opting out’ and we’re witnessing the death of the broadcast era. The faster we all move away from the main stream and to the networks’ edge, the better.
Twitter, WhatsApp, whatever turns out to be next, teens will use them to talk to each other, mostly for the better and sometimes for the worse. They are rejecting the manipulated noise of the machine, the dishonesty in news and advertising, the distraction caused by signal-jacking and they are opting to consume and communicate around the edges. They share learnings fast, and despite any normal parents worries, they are thus rapidly constructing a culture of quality.
It costs nothing to share information. It costs nothing now to avoid mainstream media. In fact, we save time and money when we do. Plus, the more truth we share openly, the more truth everyone can access, the better decisions we can all make. It’s very simple. It won’t be pure, and so everyone will need to remain vigilant, but let’s face it, it’s been like that now for decades.
This is the beginning of an immense wave of change. And we can accelerate and amplify it, by moving away from mass media, by increasingly sharing openly, selectively and honestly the discoveries we’re making amongst our peers both locally, and those we love from afar. Engaging and sharing transparently and thoughtfully around the edges, together, will improve life as we know it. It will help us align, and make better choices.
If we increasingly start to change how we communicate, and how we spend our time and money together, we will be sending a powerful message. If all of us increasingly focus on simple qualities, and reject extravagances, it will shake the foundation.
I feel like Han Solo tonight after watching Skywalker destroy the Death Star, “You’re all clear kid, now let’s blow this thing and go home!”
