PSFK Conference NYC (Part 3): Ghost in the Machine – Digital Multiculture
On April 2nd I attended the PSFK Conference NYC. This is a multi-post series where I share some of the highlights.
TALK: Ghost In The Machine – Digital Multiculture featuring Celestine Arnold
Celestine was a terrific speaker, but there was so much info on her slides it was difficult to take adequate notes (I hope she will eventually post her slides online). She said that this was a talk about race & representation – NOT about racism (important distinction).
She went on to talk about the cultural/ethnic misrepresentation and exclusion of minorities from video games & virtual worlds. Gaming is mirrored by white culture when it’s in fact minorities that dominate the gaming market.
Various racial stereotypes also dominate the gaming landscape (white = good, black = evil, arab = terrorists, etc.).
SUMMARY: Celestine points out that embracing the multicultural demographic provides a highly untapped market for marketers.
BREAK: Death of Ownership
One of the predominant themes of the PSFK Conference has to do with consumerism and consumption. There’s a trend of people not just decreasing their purchases, but actually OWNING less stuff. Take a look at the following examples:
- Pandora (free music – no need for CDs)
- Netflix (renting movies – no need for DVDs)
- SmartBike DC – (renting bikes – no need to own transportation)
We’ re moving from a society that is used to accumulating things to a society that’s rejecting over-consumption and embracing simplicity:
“You buy furniture. You tell yourself this is the last sofa I will ever need in my life. Buy the sofa, then for a couple of years you’re satisfied that no matter what goes wrong, at least you’ve got your sofa issue handled. Then the right set of dishes. Then the perfect bed. The drapes. The rug. Then you’re trapped in your lovely nest, and the things you used to own, now they own you.”
— Fight Club
As I write this I’m thinking about another movie I saw the other night that represents these ideas perfectly, “Into The Wild.” Check it out.
LINKS:
iamtheweather.com- PSFK Conference NYC
Constant Beta – Highlights from the PSFK Conference 2009
Photos from PSFK Conference NYC 09
Gareth Kay – Looking Back at PSFK New York
