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Andrew Keen – a return to the Middle Ages

by Dennis Howlett on May 6, 2009


Most people I know think the internet is a great thing, liberating us, adding value democratizing information. But is it all goodness? Andrew Keen believes that in the dash to the ‘new’ we should be careful that the very technologies that were supposed to facilitate a more egalitarian society don’t end up imprisoning us.

In this brief discussion at NEXT09, I asked Andrew to say what he thinks this means for institutions. Always thought provoking, rarely under opinionated, it was a rare pleasure to spend time with him.

Earlier in the day, Andrew delivered a thought provoking keynote. I filmed some of what he said and will upload very soon.

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Tagged as: Andrew Keen, Cult of Amateur, next09

  • Great stuff Dennis. Vintage Andrew - loved "The middle ages were great if you were a lord or baron, not so great if you were a peasant." (paraphrase). I tend to agree with Andrew using Twitter as an example of how the future will bestow "lord" or "baron" status on a new breed of celebrities, and that inequalities in many cases will get greater. Some people will have bullhorns, if you will, and some will have kazoos. One thing Andrew hasn't touched on in these clips is the rise of the "new crowd." It's not just about individuals but about how "crowds" of individuals can quickly raise the temperature - take Ashton getting one million votes over CNN as an example of a hypefast that quickly sucked many in. Of course many idealize the new power of crowds, calling it "crowdsourcing" or even the "wisdom" of crowds. But bad people can use such methods for bad outcomes, or even meaningless celebrity drivel outcomes. I'd love to get Andrew's take on the role of the "new crowd."

    Well, if I can have a conversation this interesting next week in Orlando I will have accomplished something.

    - Jon
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