TheStorry.com – In Search Of The Profound

Having spent all of my post secondary years in the business faculty, there was little occasion nor encouragement to venture outside the “business building” and explore the many other wonderful and stimulating disciplines actively being taught mere steps away. In fact, 97% of all my lectures occurred in 2 classrooms deep in the bowels of the Faculty of Business’ red brick building on the outskirts of the UVIC campus near the edge of ring road. Now, I’m not complaining. In fact, it was exactly what I signed up for and I have no regrets about my choices in university and where they’ve taken my life/career thus far. However, I have always enjoyed the humanities and find I gravitate effortlessly towards their discourse wherever I can find it. Hence, my love for the History channel and A&E programming in general- dirty little secret.

Pretty much my whole day-job revolves around the Internet and online technologies (currently optimizing ways to utilize them for, what I consider, constructive, non-interruptive marketing). I figure it’s the least of all evils in the world of marketing. Anyway, what’s my point? I guess, where I’m headed with this post, is that it is completely refreshing to look at the same tools, media, and technology that consume my day as a marketer through the lens of a completely different discipline that has drastically different objectives and uses significantly different language to analyse, catalog, and chronicle their use.

Enter the world of anthropology and the video by professor Michael Wesch created in 2007 titled: The Machine Is Us/ing Us. Have a look below:

Pretty cool commentary. I decided to check out more of Prof. Wesch’s stuff and found his antropolgical introduction to Youtube a captivating watch. Have a look at it here:

Why this moved me to blog:

1. I got to see the same old technologies viewed through a different lens. Seeing something awe-inspiring for the first time is always an unforgettable experience. Reliving some of the excitement I felt for the Internet years ago when I first pontificated on all its commercial applications by being able to view the same medium for all of its humanistic applications and impacts is refreshing. [that's hardly to say that I don't realize the human side of the 'net on a regular basis, but sometimes something has to bonk you on your head to shift your presence into a different train of thought, this video did that for me]
2. The production quality is good and content stimulating
3. It’s pretty awesome to see a professor who can really adapt their curriculum and teaching style to connect with their students. They are rare, and I’ve always always appreciated those special professors who can make a course “come to life” for their classes
4. It gives me an excuse to blog and use long, poorly constructed, run-on sentences

Further reading here.

Thanks to Wordspring for linking to this video, reminding me it existed, and the several hours I found myself lost in anthro-speak / analysis.