Old Conversations are Social Suicide

At SXSW, the newest new thing is discussed at every turn. This isn’t to be mistaken as a bunch of Apple Fanboys running around waiting for the new 10 Commandants to appear to Steve on an iPad, though you may find a few on 6th Street late at night. The new thing may be in mobile. But it may be a new social network, or a flavor or a use or some mashup that matters for its innovation.

Regardless of what the new thing is, networking with people you find at SXSW requires you have an opinion. Love or hate or be impartial about the iPhone for a reason. Use Twitter or explain why your startup is a better idea. Don’t just complain about the lines at The Apple Store or that outsourcing is bad for American jobs.

If there is a common thread in the conversations I entered and exited, it was that no one has time for the old thing in a familiar context.

Not one Mac vs. PC debate was observed. Desktops are yesterday’s news - a glorified typewriter raised on cube farms. If you enter a discussion with that sort of regurgitated noise and don’t have something new to add, you’ll be drinking free beer by yourself talking to the guy that keeps the buffets stocked. Attention spans are low. Don’t be afraid to talk, but don’t repeat Mashable or what you found on Digg, because we all saw the same post or we wouldn’t be attending SXSWi.

Posted via email from Fear and Loathing at SXSW Interactive