Friday, 20 February 2009

Definitions of Now

Today over on Brand DNA, Stan Lee posted this photo and wrote about his recent experience at a conference where dozens of people sat and typed on their laptops.
It seems live blogging and twittering are obviously now an accepted part of conferences. Which is probably the conference equivalent of people taking mobile phone photos at concerts... But I can't help thinking that these people are not getting the most out of their conference experience because they're too focused on commenting on or recording what they're seeing.
As a blogger and constant camera carrier who loves to photograph daily details, this is something I struggle with. I want to be present in the moment as Meg Now but I also want to capture what I'm experiencing and encountering for Meg Later. Can a person do both in equal measure? In this ever-evolving digital age do I need to loosen my definition of now? Maybe Marshall McLuhan was right when he wrote "We look at the present through a rear-view mirror. We march backwards into the future."

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

i hears ya. great points. i laughed, dan spent two days tweeting constantly at webstock. i tease him about it too. funny.

Gavin Heaton said...

It's a challenge to decide where to invest our energies and presence.

But think about your best holidays. Think about the times you have spent with friends. Sometimes a photo will trigger a forgotten memory.

Years down the track, your recordings or notes may be all that you have to remind you. After all, the present moment is always-already so fleeting.