Collaboration, a documentary

Yesterday I watched a documentary on collaboration with some of my colleagues at PHD. It’s worth watching; features Vint Cerf (‘co-father of the internet’, as they called him!) and Howard Rheingold amongst others. There was an interesting point about how innovation spreads when networks are connected, which resonated with me because it’s something I do a fair bit. Vint Cerf mentioned how the value of the web isn’t inherent in technology itself, it’s in the kinds of things & collaborations that people use technology to do. There was also a point made by Mr. Rheingold about the importance of not just being a leech – he referred to Van Gogh’s work, a lot of which focussed on fields, and the principle of  ‘sowing and reaping’. The point being that a lot of people consume what other people create on the web, but it’s our responsibility to build on these things and not just consume mindlessly –  vital for a strong and nourishing internet. If we want the good of the web to overpower the bad, then those of us who create need to remember to do this responsibly and over the long run, and not abandon it to ‘someone else’.