You may be thrown off by the title of this blog post, but after reading an enlightening article by Marc Ruxin from TechCrunch titled “All Things SXSW (Re)Considered”, it felt appropriate.
Remember going to concerts 20 years ago? (I don’t because I was 9), but some of you may. As you may recall, there were no phones, there were probably few cameras (most of which, disposable) and there were not any social platforms or trending hashtags being stuffed down your throat. You were there to enjoy the music and were left to remember how “totally rad” it was, rather than scroll through your instagram feed.
Well, as Ruxin describes, this was the majority of what SXSW offered attendees decades ago – it was a chance to hear and discover up and coming bands and new music. “You had to stand in front of a band and use your eyes and ears to have a sense for whether the band was happening,” Ruxin states. Can you imagine?
Fast forward to current day, not only has our regular, weekend concert-going drastically changed, but SXSW has evolved to be a technology hotspot where the modern day tech geeks have turned into the guitar gods of the past.
Did you attend SXSW in Austin? (If so, I want a detailed list of all the food you consumed. And Jeni’s Ice Cream from Columbus, OH better be on the list.) Then, I want to know the following:
- How many different hashtags did you see and/or use? Did it improve your experience?
- How many new technology platforms did you discover?
- How many social platforms did you share content through? (My guess is at least 5)
- Oh and, did you discover any new music? I hope so.
With all this to say, I’m from Generation Y, I barely remember life without mobile phones. I don’t remember life without the internet. I can’t wait to see how technology advances from now till my kids are in their 20s. Now, please share this blog post with the following hashtag. #thenewsxsw
–Carrie Crabill – @cwcrabill
