We argued in the book that we should take a socio-cultural perspective in order to try to explain what is driving consumer empowerment, rather than see it as a purely technological trend. The best source of thinking on this topic is not coming from trendy agencies and academics of New York or Silicon Valley, but from the plains of Kansas. Michael Wesch, an anthropologist, runs the Digital Ethography Unit at Kansas State University. This twenty first century version of Marshall McLuhan (and his army of willing students) is working on a number of projects that explore the impact of digital media (and YouTube in particular) on culture and behaviour. What is driving our participatory culture? How do you explain the cult of narcicism and the spirit of the confessional that encourages people to share their personal lives and views with complete strangers on YouTube? What is driving people’s search for deeper, more meaningful connections? How are relationships changing?
For the answers, check out Wesch’s dedicated YouTube channel and if you can spare 50 minutes, here’s a great video of the man in action. Loads of great stories and thought-provoking content.
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