Wednesday, 7.50pm
Sheffield, U.K.
The more informative your advertising, the more persuasive it will be. – David Ogilvy
I was talking to a friend and we are starting to realize that the way we did things is not the way they do things now.
We have new generations coming through, with different experiences. And the differences are starting to show.
Gaming, for example, wasn’t really a thing for me. That wasn’t just a timing thing but also a place thing. But for many people now, including my children, it seems as essential as breathing.
Reading – that doesn’t appear to be much of a thing. An informal poll of the thirteen year olds I know suggests that around 10% of children like to read.
For pleasure, anyway. I suspect the rest would quite happily read anything they were really interested in as kids are learning machines.
A lot of people learn from video these days. I do too. And I hate to admit this, but it is probably more effective than reading on its own. Note the “on its own”. I don’t think video replaces reading, but reading plus video is better. Reading plus video plus AI is probably better still, even if brings us closer to the apocalypse.
I think I am something of a luddite technology enthusiast. I like stuff that works and that stuff tends to be old, like the vi editor I am typing this on. The first version came out 48 years ago. I will probably happily use it in 48 more if I am still around.
But I also like the new technology and tend to explore its limits pretty quickly. The test is not newness but utility – does it work?
I think that’s the same with video. The test is not to game the algorithm or create 30 second stress inducing content. The point is to explain things simply and clearly. But of course, that will not get likes. It won’t give you the short-term dopamine boost that comes with the rewards of social approval. But it may be useful – for me as I learn to talk about things I am interested in – and perhaps for others who share an interest in some of these ideas.
As a result I will be experimenting more with video, so you might see some more of it on the site.
Cheers,
Karthik Suresh
Handcrafted insight 