McGee’s Musings

[cross posted at FastForward Blog]

All the people whose opinions I trust have been recommending Michael Wesch’s most recent effort, “An anthropological introduction to YouTube.” It’s a presentation he delivered in June at he Library of Congress. It will take you an hour, but it is definitely time and attention well spent. Wesch and his students are developing deep insights into the human dimensions and impacts of today’s technology innovations.

One point that Wesch emphasizes is the importance of “participant observation” as a research strategy in this domain. To grasp what these new social media mean for organizations and culture you have to get involved. Wesch’s work is an excellent entry point, but even that won’t really make sense until you try it yourself.