Alcoholism in the Silicon Valley, Augmented Reality, and a Peek into the Future: My Interview With Robert Scoble
In late February, I was invited to attend SummitLive, a conference in Los Angeles which brought together social media influencers, tech companies, agencies, and more to discuss the role of live streaming (both in the present and future) within the business and consumer world.
Side Note: It was an amazing conference filled with even more amazing people. Be sure to go next year if you can!
While there, I was fortunate enough to interview the great Robert Scoble, a true tech visionary who is — and has been since the early 2000s — at the forefront of innovation. For all of his work and interests, Robert describes himself best on his Twitter bio with “an Authority on What’s Next”.
At this moment in time, Robert is most excited about the future of augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and mixed reality (MR) — and is a top-tier thought leader in each category.
If you’re unfamiliar with Robert, here’s a quick list of just some of the awesome stuff he’s done:
- Created the innovative tech blog Scobleizer all the way back in 2000, which brought him a close-knit, ravenous following
- Served as Technology Evangelist for Microsoft (2003 to 2006)
- Video blogger at Fast Company
- Co-authored The Fourth Dimension: How Augmented Reality and Artificial Intelligence Will Change Everything
- Co-authored Age of Context: Mobile, Sensors, Data and the Future of Privacy
- Since I’m a social media geek, I also had to add in that he has over 200,000+ Facebook Followers and 500,000+ Twitter Followers
Here are some of the highlights of the interview we had:
In January of 2015, Robert publicly announced he had been battling alcohol addiction for quite some time. Since then, he has been sober and is happier than ever before. Here are some of his thoughts on the subject…
Question 1
How did giving up alcohol change your life? And how do you think Silicon Valley culture promotes alcohol abuse?
Robert: I don’t think it’s just the Silicon Valley. It’s nearly every industry — I went to a doctor’s conference and the wine was free. Alcohol is always nearby and almost always free.
The first weekend I was sober, I counted how many times I was offered alcohol and lost count after 50.
In addition, if you were going through the list of drugs, I don’t think alcohol is the one you should pick. It gives you hangovers and makes it hard for you to think clearly. Marijuana is a much better drug.
He then went on to discuss how sobriety has changed his life…
Robert: Since giving up alcohol, I’ve lost 50 pounds, I get up early in the morning and can cope because I’m not hung over (he said with a smile). I’m also more focused and more driven than ever before.
With Scoble being a true pioneer of the blogosphere, I had to ask him about the future of blogging. I also felt this question would be of particular interest to my readers given how Medium is essentially centralizing and socializing the blogosphere.
Question 2
What do you think is the future of the blogosphere?
Robert: The trend is certainly clear that we’re moving to a more visual world, but there is still a need for storytellers of all types. Text is still the most efficient way to tell a certain kind of story.
Even in the future, if you were to write a screenplay, you’re still going to need to write what is on screen, what the actor needs to say, etc. Some aspects may give way to more visual constructs, but there’s still a need for written communication.
I then asked if Robert could elaborate on how exactly these visual changes might take place…
In the consumer world, we’re going to see a higher demand for video content because we’ll have more screens available to us simultaneously (through our augmented reality headsets, for instance). We’ll also have more time to consume this content due to technological advances like self-driving cars.
In addition, the consumer expectation is going to be more and more based on interaction with the media you’re in. This could include Choose Your Own Adventure feature films and more.
On a final note, with the advent of augmented reality the things you wear might have more of an impact than ever before. For example, if you are at a conference representing a specific company, perhaps your brand’s logo on your shirt will trigger your company’s intro video to start playing on my AR eyewear.
Another example could be when you’re walking through a hotel, AR would enable you to see the history of the hotel, which presidents have eaten at the establishment, and more.
Question 3
This past December, Robert Scoble and Shel Israel launched their book through a presentation via AltspaceVR (you can watch the presentation here). Here’s a quick demo of how AltspaceVR is shrinking the world by facilitating virtual reality concerts, keynotes, hangouts, and more:
I wanted to know what it was like to give a keynote using the technology…
What was it like using AltspaceVR?
Robert: I really liked it. It’s just like giving a speech in the physical world. People can ask questions, you can see their avatars in the room. The only thing you can’t see is where their eyes are looking, but that’s coming soon.
It’s terrific to see Robert Scoble not only share the latest and greatest innovations in technology with his audience, but also open up as a human by discussing the struggles he has faced. We all have our own addictions and obstacles, and it’s inspiring to know even the best of the best fight the same internal battles as we all do.
To connect with Robert, follow him on Facebook and on Twitter here. Also, don’t forget to check out his newest book here.
In the comment section: Are you familiar with Robert Scoble’s work? If so, what about it do you enjoy most?
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