So bear with me, this may be a little tenuous, but it’s a strand of my thinking and I just want to follow it to the end. I was flicking through sites of other bloggers (Dave Briggs, and also Kate Bennett if you’re interested) and then decided to change my theme – I’ve been tired with the green/black grunge thing that was going on for a while so selected a new theme. Then I flicked back to Dave’s page. Then back to mine. Then back to Dave’s. Unwittingly I’d selected the same theme. As an aside I decided to keep it, just because I could and I liked it, but that’s not the point.The point is it got me thinking – are we constraining the potential of the internet?
Although the internet has become a spawning ground for so many startups, it’s only those people who really break the rules and conventions that push boundaries; instead the rest of us conform to standards, such as me using WordPress, which comes with a standard set of themes. On the one hand it’s great as it’s letting me unleash creativity that I’ve never done before. On the other, it’s giving that creativity walls and boundaries. Ok, they’re not insurmountable. If I wanted to change my theme I could, but it’s easier to choose a ready-made one.
So does this matter? Well, to take a different field, a lot of truly radical economists want to throw off the constraints of capitalism, and for us to embrace new forms of economics in terms of re-balancing the world. I often find myself agreeing with them. Why on earth don’t we do things in a way that’s better for all. Hey, if Totnes can do it, why can’t we all?
I guess one of the reasons is convenience, another is probably experience. For one thing, we all like easy living. If you ask people to make a simple change to their routines, they’ll probably do it. However, if you pile them up to the point that there are multiple changes, they’ll give up as they don’t have the energy to fight every battle. As for experience, what’s better? There’s not many systems that have been as successful in the long term and as stable as capitalism. Granted, it may need more governance and control, but generally it’s been good for people. Other models might work but they require huge changes in people’s mindsets
So here we hit upon the crux. Radical people will always think ‘outside the box’, regardless of whether it’s a box, a wordpress theme, or an economic system of governance. And do those people exist in relation to the internet? Yes they most definitely do. You’ve only got to look at platform previews of new browsers, or watch the rise of Jumo, to see that whilst the majority of people are pootling along ok, some of the big hitters are redefining the way we use the internet every day.
As a result then, I think the answer is that we’re probably not shutting off whole sections of the world/creative concious. Instead, we’re finding the way to mix innovation and those on the bleeding edge with standards and tools to bring everyone with us. I guess this has been going on for years with lots of things, but it’s something I wasn’t really concious of until today.
I guess I was thinking of what it means in terms of the new open data agenda the Government is pursuing. Instead of just opening up the data, it’s how we use it that counts, as the citizenship foundation point out. Right now, those people are on the bleeding edge, making apps and turning it into information we never thought we’d see. And those people are the same people who are thinking outside the box.
What we’re missing though, is standards or suggestions on ideas. At the moment everyone’s just publishing data left right and centre, but there’s no-one to foster people’s creativity with that data. Standards will help, so that everyone’s at the same starting point, but what then? Surely the biggest thing we need to work out how to do is enable more people to break the boundaries? To enable ‘non techie’ people to work out how to create or setup things in the digital world? Tableau have been great at doing this, as their version of Tabluea Public ‘suggests’ ways to present your data which is a great thing for people – it gets them thinking differently, but we need more packages like that. It’s only then that ideas like the Big Society will take root – people need enablement to progress.
