Not Soup

For those of you that don’t know me, my main two passions are New Technology and Comic Books.

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about New Technology, New Media, and how people react when it is implemented. I’ve worked in a few different jobs that have gone far afield of each other, but there always seemed to be four different types that react to new tech. I tie New media in with New Tech, because one seems to lead to the other and vice versa.

 The first and that one that I think probably most average employees align with is the Invisible Woman. Since being created, the Invisible Woman has come a long way in being redefined as a character and a powerful female character at that, but in essence her power is really to avoid a problem. (as can be seen in this horrible trailer for Roger Corman’s Fantastic Four) Trouble comes at her, she becomes invisible and gets out of the way. I think this is where most workers are at, they simply do not want to rock the boat. They show up when work starts do just enough to not get in trouble and head out when the evening bell whistles. Try, to the best of their ability, to go unnoticed. And how do these people react to New Tech? In short, they don’t. They wait for it to come to them.

At a school I recently worked at, they implemented a classroom PA system, so teachers could save their voice but still be heard through the entire room. The microphone for this device was attached to a strap and hung around your neck. The first day I arrived to work at, they showed it to me and there directions were “wear this, we’re supposed to be using these things.” And the majority of the teachers in the hall did just that. They wore the dongle, but didn’t bother to even try to adapt this technology. Same with the computer systems, the projectors, other “toys” they had in the room. All their, all available, all ignored. They didn’t want to rock the boat. But things like the grading software that they were forced to use, they learned to work as minimally as needed, and were able to get by with it.

The second personality type is The Thing. The Thing is an Orange Rocky brute. He is as a hammer. Every problem is a nail. To defeat the bad guy, he punches them. If that doesn’t work, he punches them again. and again. and again. and again. And he wants everything back the way it used to be. He’s lived in the same building forever hangs out in his old community, Yancy Street, and more than anything wants to be back like he was before becoming The Thing.

Hopefully at your workplace, nobody is walking around punching people, but there are many people that see every problem as a nailed that needs to be hammered. These are the people that will actively petition against any kind of new Tech. These people I find the most frightening, but if they have too much control, they will crash a business.

A local comic shop is ran by a “Thing,” he has no interest in trying to develop a business, which is fine for him, because he’s the only comic shop within an hour 45 minute drive. He sees no reason for a website. Does not do ebay. Does not advertise his business, nothing. The only way to find his store is to drive past it or find it in the yellow pages. He opens his store in the morning, closes in the evening and has no expectation of doing anything else. And his store is slowly going downhill and he just doesn’t see it.

The third type is The Human Torch, Johnny Storm. Now Johnny has been played a few different ways, but he’s always had a sort of youthful exhuberance. He’s always had a sense of fun and always been the celebrity of the group. He’s also most likely to “borrow” one of Mr. Fantastics gadgets. These are the people that jump at the new technology and are excited to use it, but may not always use it for the intended purpose. These can be some of the most useful people in introducing a new technology because hey make it look easy and show the fun side of the new tech. They can also be some of the worst if they use it too much for the fun factor and don’t implement it correctly.

To go back to when I was teaching with the PA system. One teacher loved using the projector system… to put youtube videos on the front board. (I frequently used the system to watch DVDs during my “planning” period.) and used the PA as intended, but at the same time loved to bring it close to his face so the sound would distort and he could say things like “Clean up in aisle 4. We need a clean up in aisle four,” to a classroom of confused students who obviously had not yet worked a single day in their life.

Finally we have the leader of are Fantastic Four, Mr. Fantastic, and aside from the humongous ego he has to call himself Mr. Fantastic, He has a body and mind ready to stretch in all different directions. Mr. Fantastic is the inventor. This is the guy that actively seeks out new media and is the one introducing it to others. Need to find a new way to do something? This is the guy that has the solution. But they can send you down the wrong path as well. Just ask Sony about betamax and UMDs.

These are the people that I find at the radio station. I work for a Clear Channel station, the behemoth of Old Media, but everyday I talk with someone that’s thinking about a new way to reach out to listeners, to involve them, to evolve the medium. These are people that realize it’s the content, not the medium that matters. Yes, most of them had one idea that just did not work, but they weren’t afraid to try.

So, who are you in the workplace? Are you ready to implement new technology? Are you ready to find new ways to communicate with your audience? Are you sedentary? Or are you just trying to stay invisible?