What Johnny Carson Taught Us About Technology

Many consider him the undisputed king
of late night tv.

Before we had YouTube stars, we had Carson. A remarkable career, which spanned over 30 years, as a pioneer on a new medium called television. He was at the forefront of the television revolution becoming one of its’ first mainstream personalities.

Nearly all television owners in the US tuned into The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson when it debuted in 1962. His final show had nearly 50 million viewers.

Imagine if everyone with internet access watched your YouTube video?

It was that kind of magnetism which Carson possessed.

In the midst of his illustrious career another revolution was happening — the tech revolution. Computers were being built in garages, companies being formed, and the fathers and mothers of tech innovation emerging.

But what if Jobs had taken a few notes from Carson? Is a career in television and comedy any different than being a tech tycoon?

He knew end user testing.

Carson was extremely self aware in his performances. When a bit was going south, he could salvage it. On the spot, he would piece together a new joke ultimately yielding a few laughs. He was known to actually insult his audience after he delivered a bad joke — and they loved it. With his quick wit and ability to innately understand the temperature of the crowd, Carson was a master at reversing course.

Much like Carson’s audience, your users will tell you what works and what doesn’t. The success or failure of your piece of technology or startup will ultimately hinge upon how you respond to this.

Your users will find bugs (bad jokes), and make sure to let you know. A test case (comedy sketch) won’t perform the way you expected, and you will need to pivot.

Rewriting a joke and a piece of software, isn’t really that different.

There will be a continuous stream of tweeking and tuning of your product until you hit the right balance.

Carson spent his 30+ year career in search of this balance.

The Original Social Media Expert

Before The Tonight Show, Carson hosted a game show called Who Do You Trust? The crux of the show was to test the trust between a couple by a series of questions.

This background enabled him to loosen up on screen and fine tune his demeanor with guests. These skills are what prepared him for a career interviewing a range of guests from celebrities to politicians to even other comedians.

In a time where celebrities were distant figures, Carson was able to show celebrities in a different light. Carson connected to the American public and in turn connected the American public to his guests.

The original social media platform was really Johnny Carson’s set.

When tweets become an expression of our emotions and Instagram photos are a glimpse into our life, personal connections are formed. We follow and connect with public figures, sometimes even having exchanges with them. Carson was doing all of this from his desk starting in 1962 — 22 years before Mark Zuckerberg was even born.

Note: Carson posthumously is on social media today.
His YouTube channel has 171,279 subscribers and 81,588,578 views to date.

Magic.

As a young boy in Iowa, Carson had an infatuation with magic tricks and performance. Purchasing his first magic set through mail (early days of Amazon?) he studied and perfected his set.

Even in the Naval Air Corps, he performed magic. His polished slight of hand and grand gestures, helped in his distinct style as a television host being able to own the crowd.

New software and hardware we experience may be marked by beautiful design and seamless interactions — the makings of any good magic show.

Things just work.

Do we know how? Not always, but we continue to sit in amazement and wonder begging for more.

Heeere’s Johnny!

Carson brought television to life as a magician of the screen. He dazzled his audiences for years with a flair all his own, that has been emulated by many and mastered by none.

The King of Late Night might be an unlikely candidate to look to for technology inspiration but the thread runs deep. Great technology connects to its users, is entrusted by them and performs without fail.

Carson did that too — just with punchlines over command lines.