I want to thank @ottonomy (Nate Otto) for the link to this article by Douglas Rushkoff that really helped me understand #occupywallstreet, particularly the following quote.
That’s because, unlike a political campaign designed to get some person in office and then close up shop (as in the election of Obama), this is not a movement with a traditional narrative arc. As the product of the decentralized networked-era culture, it is less about victory than sustainability. It is not about one-pointedness, but inclusion and groping toward consensus. It is not like a book; it is like the Internet.
I love this sense that the very arc and narrative of protests and demonstrations have changed, and the means by which they are currently being reported by mianstream media is a vestige of an industry that has everything to gain by dismissing a headless approach. So many of the questions about leadership and power (and a general disappointment with Obama) finds articulation in Rushkoff’s piece. And it is not surprising that Brian Lamb turned me on to Rushkoff’s Program or be Programmed video at SXSW when trying to make sense of the sustainability of the web—an intervention to make it a green space rather than a corporate cuddle coach.
And while we are talking about #occupywallstreet, special shout out to Michael Branson Smith who took #ds106radio to the streets of Lower Manhattan to capture the vibe and broadcast stories of the occupants. You can catch it all here thanks to Giulia Forsythe —the ds106radio archivist extraordinaire. So mint!
