Welcome to Press This, the WordPress group podcast from WMR. Every episode options visitors from across the group and discussions of the biggest problems going through WordPress builders. The next is a transcription of the unique recording.
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Document Pop: You’re paying attention to Press This, a WordPress group podcast on WMR. Every week, we highlight contributors of the WordPress group. I’m your host, Document Pop, I improve the WordPress group thru my function at WP Engine and my contributions on Torquemag.io. You’ll subscribe to Press This on RedCircle, iTunes, Spotify, or anywhere you in finding your favourite podcasting apps. You’ll additionally obtain the episodes immediately from WMR.fm.
Now on Press This, we steadily discuss how new applied sciences can alternate your WordPress trade, however these days I’d like to change issues up and discuss how era can assist gas creativity and tradition, and the way the ones issues can all pass hand in hand.
Becoming a member of me these days is Lawrence Edmondson, a Founder at Consume Large Virtual, to speak about what occurs on the intersection of tradition, creativity, and tech.
Lawrence, how are you doing these days?
Lawrence Edmondson: Whats up, Document, I’m doing smartly. How are you?
Document Pop: I’m doing in reality smartly. Thank you such a lot for becoming a member of us. Why don’t we kick this off with simply; I’d like to listen to your WordPress foundation tale.
Lawrence Edmondson: Yeah, positive factor. So, initially, Consume Large Virtual is a device consultancy. We’re a small staff founded in New York, and we’re ex-agency people that perceive era and love era, however in reality see a possibility the place era and creativity intersect, particularly when tradition is concerned as smartly.
So our, you recognize, our era tale has in truth been two and a part many years within the making, proper. And the primary time I were given into content material control, in line with se, I feel it was once early—smartly, later 90s, early 2000s, proper?
That is when content material control was once in an overly brutal state, you recognize? When there was once no such factor as headless, the whole thing was once a monolith. However that’s roughly after I were given into it.
However then ‘03, when WordPress got here out, you recognize, we jumped on that. So my WordPress foundation tale is I’ve been the usage of it since day one, actually, proper? You recognize, on the time, as I discussed, there have been different equipment, however they have been very brutal and not anything was once open supply.
Not anything presented the versatility of WordPress, which I’m in reality glad that WordPress has stayed true to its roots to these days.
Document Pop: And considering again in relation to the early days of internet sites and early days of WordPress and fascinated about it with creativity in thoughts, I in truth roughly call to mind how era impressed creativity in its barriers.
Again then it was once all about “you’ll’t in reality do a lot, however let’s roughly determine what we will do” with, you recognize, with GIFs or such things as that.
I think like era in some way has all the time roughly fueled creativity in its barriers, and now it’s roughly switching round a bit bit, and it’s changing into a lot more open as internet sites can change into more straightforward for any individual to construct and as a way to in reality construct the web site that they envision, no longer simply, roughly like “stick round to a template.”
So yeah, let’s simply get started off with that. What’s, what’s coming in your thoughts there?
Lawrence Edmondson: Yeah, that’s a just right level. I imply, I’ve an workout for the target audience. And I certainly, you recognize, such as you discussed, proper, what occurs on the intersection of tradition, creativity, and tech?
Let’s discuss internet sites, as smartly, proper, as a tangible output of that factor, of era.
However for the target audience, when you’re in a position to take out a work of pen and paper, I would like you to put in writing down the previous 3 many years. And if you wish to do that for your telephone, or then again you need to do it. However let’s get started with 1990, so write that down, then put 2000, after which 2010, after which 2020.
So we’re having a look again at 3 many years, proper? Now, what I’d love to do is get started with each and every I’ll—let’s throw it again to 1990, proper?
Let’s bounce within the time gadget and return. Let’s return to when Gen Z have been born, so Gen Z is any individual born between 1997 and 2012. Let’s return to 1990, proper? That decade. And let’s discuss one thing that you simply touched on. Internet sites, and the way creativity and era and tradition roughly blends in combination.
Now, the explanation why I like this matter is as a result of I feel one thing in reality attention-grabbing occurs when tradition, creativity, and era all roughly merge and mix in and play off of one another.
And I’ve been looking at this for some time, and I feel that one thing in reality attention-grabbing occurs at that intersection. Era strikes at its personal tempo. Era, as we’ve observed, empowers companies, once in a while creates completely new trade alternatives, proper? We’ve observed that a couple of occasions and I’ll point out a couple of of the ones.
Which once in a while, you recognize, era oftentimes fuels creativity, proper? After which, because of the ones two issues coming in combination, we have now cultural shifts.
So, we have now issues in tradition that once in a while weren’t there sooner than which can be created. We have now other views or other ways of folks attractive with issues because of era and creativity coming in combination.
Make sense?
Document Pop: Mm-hmm.
Lawrence Edmondson: Cool. So, let’s get started again to 1990. So, 1990 gave us—the 1990 decade gave us, I’ll discuss those 3 buckets.
Tech gave us the web, gave us Java, Google, and Amazon, proper? Again then, a web site was once quite simple. There have been a couple of issues it’s worthwhile to do on internet sites, and we have been all scrambling to determine “how do you get your content material on a web page? How do you get video on there?”
That is pre-YouTube, proper? We had GIFs—or JIFs, the talk nonetheless continues. The correct strategy to say that phrase—however, you recognize, any roughly movement graphics was once very 2D. Proper? There was once no 3-d, in reality, on the time. There was once, however it was once very restricted to desktop computer systems, no longer in reality the internet, in line with se.
Culturally, this was once the upward push of hip hop, proper? Grunge was once an enormous a part of that. Sitcoms, indie motion pictures, all took place culturally. After which creativity-wise, we had Photoshop. That’s when Photoshop was once born, which gave room to internet design, proper? And the whole thing began to occur at that time the place internet began to problem print.
So going again in your query, that’s when web site design was once a real factor, proper? And a large number of folks got here into it for the reason that era was once now there that fueled the creativity, which made an enormous affect on tradition.
Who’re one of the crucial winners that we noticed that got here out of that decade? Clearly, Google and Amazon, and Amazon began as an overly other corporate again then, proper? There was once no Amazon Internet Services and products firstly. Amazon was once a spot the place we’d pass to shop for books, proper? After which they began to, you recognize, they have been turning in issues it was once—it simply grew, proper?
So Amazon, Google, Oracle, Intel, and Microsoft, I feel, have been the largest winners as a result of all of the ones corporations learned that this era that they have been sitting on allowed them to have an effect on some societal alternate and alter tradition in some way that the later many years with the whole thing that got here afterward could be an immediate results of that.
At the moment, Apple was once slightly surviving, proper? Within the Nineties when you have a look at the Fortune 100 listing from that point, Apple was once at 96, like on that hundred of, you recognize, the fortune hundred listing. They have been close to demise, proper? That is after they had fired Steve Jobs and he had come again and he began to respire new existence into the corporate.
The following decade. So, happening alongside in our paper, 2000s, proper? The brand new millennium or the break of day of social media and cell.
As I really like to name it, the Golden Age of Tech, proper? That was once the last decade of disruptions, you recognize, in line with Walter Isaacson.
From the tech standpoint, that’s once we had WordPress, proper? ‘03. Python, Git, Open Supply, YouTube, Fb, Netflix, Airbnb, and Uber, proper? Netflix, Airbnb, and Uber have been all created, once more, according to era unlocking emblem new sectors.
If it wasn’t for the era that’s cell and, you recognize, and internet products and services and such things as that—like having this decentralized fashion—Airbnb and Uber shouldn’t have been conceivable. One hundred percent.
And Netflix, as everyone knows, took place and roughly killed Blockbuster. So the era, the, you recognize—delivery DVDs all through the web was once a strategy to create this cultural shift. And as everyone knows, like, Netflix moved clear of DVDs to streaming as soon as bandwidth wasn’t a topic anymore.
So once more, era and tradition roughly mixing in and creativity being a byproduct of that. You with me to this point?
Document Pop: Yeah, completely. We’re within the 2000s now, Golden Age, and getting into 2010s, proper?
Lawrence Edmondson: Proper, 2010s bobbing up.
So within the 2000s, proper? We—this was once the age of social media. So that is when these kind of social media platforms took place and in reality began to take hang.We began to note them then.
That’s when hip hop tradition was popular culture, proper? So the whole thing modified then in relation to simply song. Spotify—Spotify got here a bit bit later, however it was once the break of day of items to come back, proper?
From a creativity point of view, be mindful, Flash? That is when the whole thing was once 2D. Flash made that conceivable for us to transport into 3-d on the internet, one thing that wasn’t conceivable sooner than. You’re a large gamer, so recreation consoles, proper? The sport console wars was once round that point.
And from a emblem standpoint, what that unlocked creativity-wise, was once truth TV and the whole thing was once unscripted. So authenticity was a large deal as a result of now folks have been on social—influencers and celebrities have been on social—so that they didn’t want an firm to inform their tale anymore. They might simply go browsing and simply inform and fasten immediately with their lovers. Proper?
So all of it modified, once more, creativity, tradition, and tech all mixing in combination. Apple, Cisco, Walmart, and Nokia, I feel, got here out as large winners round that point, oddly sufficient.
As a result of Fb and the ones corporations, the F.A.N.G. wasn’t—they have been simply beginning. So that they didn’t pop out as large winners till The 2010 generation.
Document Pop: Let’s take a snappy smash right here and we’re going to come back again and pick out up on 2010s. Is that each one proper, Lawrence?
Lawrence Edmondson: Ok let’s do it.
Document Pop: All proper. Neatly, we’re going to take a snappy smash, and once we come again, we’ll pick out up in this attention-grabbing dialogue at the intersection of creativity, tech, and tradition.
So keep tuned for extra after this brief smash.
Welcome again to Press This, a WordPress group podcast. My title is Document. As of late, I’m chatting with Lawrence Edmondson, the founder at Consume Large Virtual.
Lawrence was once strolling us thru a large number of attention-grabbing issues of era assembly tradition and creativity from the 90s to 2000s.
And talking of 2000s, we had Chris Messina at the display closing week speaking about how he created the hashtag, which you recognize, began off within the 2000s on Twitter and it’s now all over.
And Lawrence, you have been about to convey us into the 2010s. Why don’t we pick out up there?
Lawrence Edmondson: Sure, sure. So that is—the 2010 from a tech standpoint is once we noticed social media now in reality began to dominate and take form.
In order that’s when Instagram, Snapchat got here out. I forgot we had the iPhone. The iPhone got here out within the earlier decade. In order that in reality made social media take off as a result of now everybody was once cell, proper? And the smartphone was once out.
2010 gave us the iPad. And 2010 additionally gave us this perception of headless trade, proper? From Dirk Hoerig, the CEO and Founding father of Trade Equipment.
Headless trade was once now a factor. Clearly, WordPress was once on hearth, proper? You recognize, we’re growing content material left and proper. UGC was once an enormous deal.
But in addition, now, there’s a wish to tie content material and trade in combination. And that’s when WooCommerce was once born: probably the most fashionable WordPress plugins available in the market.
Microsecond Buying and selling, Brexit, Occupy Wall Side road, all the ones issues have been going down round the similar time. So culturally, there was once a large number of uprisings and issues of that nature.
Black Lives Topic in truth began in 2013. And I feel if it weren’t for social media, and the get admission to to information and the power to glue folks, actions like Occupy Wall Side road and Black Lives Topic shouldn’t have been as a success, proper? As a result of there was once no strategy to attach and mobilize folks.
Each motion that we’ve observed for the reason that civil rights—from the civil rights motion till now, there’s all the time been two main parts. One is getting the phrase out. Proper? Simply speaking, letting folks know.
And the second one side is mobilizing folks, proper? As soon as the phrase is out, how will we mobilize folks? So social media made that a chance all over that point.
One of the attention-grabbing issues I spotted from that generation, from that decade, is that on account of the iPad now, there’s this entire wish to have responsive internet design, and that’s when responsive internet design was once born. The whole thing was once now going to a flat design device and issues weren’t as Nineties, 2000-ish.
The 2010s had its personal id, proper? That decade had its personal id. And that’s once we noticed the F.A.N.G.: Fb, Apple, Netflix, and Google. They dominate.
So the former decade, they have been simply getting began, and 2010 is after they ruled business and was the large 4 that they’re these days.
2020 till now, proper? We needed to grapple with the whole thing from COVID to God-knows-what from 2020. However from a tech standpoint, AI, I feel that’s when AI was a factor that began to pop up on a large number of folks’s radar.
NFTs, Blockchain, and Web3 all was massive issues in tech that have been going down. However extra importantly, concentrated on and personalization with third-party cookies began to depart, proper? It’s been some time now, however you recognize, optimistically they’ll in the end pass away.
Getting that first-party and zero-party information for entrepreneurs was once tremendous necessary. As a result of now we couldn’t depend on third-party information anymore—the cookie, optimistically going away. So concentrated on and personalization, particularly on the subject of NFTs and Web3—like everybody sought after to be within the Metaverse, however no person knew tips on how to get there. I will’t inform you what number of manufacturers got here to us asking to create some Web3 revel in within the Metaverse. And 9 out of 10 occasions, they ended up in Roblox, you recognize?
But it surely all is going again to personalization and short of to create this prolonged revel in, proper? You’re a gamer, you recognize. At the moment, it’s worthwhile to acquire an outfit in your avatar in regardless of the, you recognize, your recreation of selection was once—Fortnite, as an example.
And you recognize, we dream of an international the place it’s worthwhile to in truth—if I have been buying a couple of denims in the actual global, it’d be dope if I may just in truth acquire a couple of denims for my avatar within the Metaverse.
By no means in reality slightly got here to fruition. I imply, we noticed other manufacturers—Gucci as an example did some attention-grabbing stuff in Roblox—however it was once all very campaign-based.
However once more, this was once tech roughly riding tradition. That is once we noticed—prior to now 4 years is once we noticed the dominance of social media overtaking TV, proper? It eclipsed TV.
Prior to now 4 years, the typical person spends 30 p.c extra time on social media than they do on TV, proper? So TV is, whilst nonetheless related, it’s no longer as necessary for large manufacturers to achieve an target audience as social media is.
That is going again to WordPress and content material control, proper? And UGC. Now, the previous 4 years, headless content material control has change into a factor.
It in truth began within the 2010s, however in reality picked up steam, I’d say, the closing 8, 9 years, more than likely, proper? The place now we have now those decoupled stories the place it wasn’t simply headless trade anymore, however in truth there’s headless content material control.
So there’s an omnichannel play that manufacturers were hoping for for years. Now, an omnichannel revel in is in truth conceivable. Why? As a result of the era.
So the ones are simply one of the crucial issues, you recognize—and clearly, I’d be remiss, I do know everybody’s been speaking about AI in recent years, so I’m no longer going to overcome a useless horse—however I feel from a creativity point of view, the largest factor prior to now decade has been AI.
And prior to now few years, the previous two years, it’s been generative AI. So, I’ll take a pause proper there.
Document Pop: Neatly, I think such as you have been speaking about, like, one of the crucial adjustments that experience took place and the way they formed tradition.
And I feel there was once a couple of moments the place tradition, you recognize, got here again and formed era. Such as you discussed Arab Spring and Black Lives Topic beginning in 2013, and, like, folks roughly the usage of their telephone extra, and Twitter was once where to roughly observe information.
And because of that cultural shift, all internet sites have been now going, “Oh, we wish to be cell. We wish to have responsive internet design.”
In order that turns out like an excellent instance of the internet reacting to a cultural shift as opposed to, you recognize, simply inflicting “Oh responsive design came visiting, thus folks went on the internet.”
No, it was once the other approach. The, you recognize, the tradition pressured it.
Lawrence Edmondson: It’s attention-grabbing you assert that as a result of I feel as technologists, once in a while we create an answer that’s looking for an issue to resolve, proper?
And I feel what took place, you’re precisely proper, proper? All the ones actions that took place round that point, after which responsive internet design and the power, smartly the want, to now ship content material impartial of the—to have content material no longer being tied to a monolith, proper? So impartial of the trade common sense, to type of separate the ones issues.
And that’s why some of the causes I like WP Engine and WordPress is on account of that, proper? Now, it’s worthwhile to roughly decouple it and feature an overly light-weight content material control device that’s no longer very overbearing.
So for the primary time all over the 2010s is once we in truth noticed that promise fulfilled of getting content material being driven out impartial of, “Oh, I’ve were given to have this factor put in to render my content material,” you recognize what I imply? It made an enormous distinction.
A couple of issues that we’ve observed additionally prior to now decade is—as many developments as we’ve had in AI, there’s additionally been some direction correcting that should occur and that’s nonetheless going down at the moment.
So clearly AI went from simply growing, from being a chatbot to love—after I say “AI,” I’m portray in vast strokes—however talking about ChatGPT in particular, proper?
You recognize, being a chatbot, to making photographs, to now with Sora and growing video. And now I feel audio is like the following threshold, proper?
And while you put all the ones issues in combination—it’s humorous, Tyler Perry simply halted manufacturing on his $800 million enlargement to his studios, his Tyler Perry Studios, as a result of he in truth were given wind of what AI may just do within the manufacturing area, like growing AI-generated video.
So I feel this era is inflicting a cultural shift, inflicting folks to concentrate and pass, “Wait a 2d, how are we able to use this factor versus operating clear of it? How are we able to leverage it?”
Document Pop: I need to take a snappy smash right here and once we come again, we’re going to wrap up our dialog and I need to pick out up at the recommendation, Lawrence, that you’ve got for people who find themselves navigating this intersection of tradition and era.
So keep tuned for extra after the quick smash.
Welcome again to Press This, the WordPress Neighborhood Podcast.
Proper sooner than the smash, Lawrence, you have been speaking concerning the complexities of merging tradition, creativity, and era all in combination. What recommendation do you’ve gotten for creators or web site developers or firm house owners who’re seeking to navigate the complexities of era and tradition and the place they meet?
Lawrence Edmondson: So, nice query. I feel the recommendation I’d give could be to be in song.
So for manufacturers, in particular, as a result of a big a part of what we do at Consume Large Virtual is partnering with businesses and platforms corresponding to your self. Through the way in which, shout out to Wes and all the WP Engine partnership group, they’ve been nice companions.
Document Pop: Proper on.
Lawrence Edmondson: However we both care for platforms or we’ll pass in with an firm or once in a while we pass consumer direct.
Some of the issues that we’ve observed is that manufacturers are steadily—there’s no longer a loss of information. The issue is working out tips on how to interpret the information and tips on how to employ that information, proper?
So oftentimes we’ll have a shopper that’s sitting on a mountain of knowledge. Or there could be information silos inside their group, they usually generally run the danger, in the event that they’re growing campaigns, they run the danger of being tone deaf, proper?
Or no longer working out what they wish to be speaking about after they’re chatting with positive demographics, proper? If you happen to’re—if you wish to achieve Gen Z, two thirds of Gen Z are lovers of hip hop tradition, k.
Hip hop tradition transcends the song. Hip hop tradition is the song, it’s sports activities, it’s style, it’s the way of life, it’s your angle and ideas on, you recognize, society on a complete.
However two thirds of the ones folks, two thirds of Gen Z, are lovers of hip hop tradition. So, generally, we discover manufacturers which can be attempting to achieve Gen Z, however are simply suffering as a result of they in reality have a difficult time decoding the information.
So, the recommendation I’d give manufacturers, in particular, which can be seeking to perceive and best possible leverage tradition, creativity, and era is: Rent folks that constitute the target audience that you simply’re attempting to achieve.
If you happen to stay hiring the similar form of folks over and over again that have compatibility the mildew, you’re going to be getting the similar form of effects, you recognize? DE&I used to be an enormous factor a pair years in the past, after which everybody began shedding their head or leader range officials, proper? So now we’re again to the place we began.
Recently, what’s going down is there’s a large number of cultural cues which can be available in the market. However manufacturers are simply no longer selecting up on them. So they’ve to concentrate. And the way in which to do this: Get a extra various ability pool within the room, primary.
Quantity two: Get started paying attention to those other folks.
And quantity 3: Innovate. Innovate or die, proper? Innovate or die. Employ this new era that’s popping out, proper? And don’t be afraid. Dedicate no less than 20 p.c of your R&D funds, you probably have one, or your product building funds, dedicate 20 p.c of that to innovation.
In order that could be my recommendation.
Document Pop: Neatly, thank you such a lot in your ideas there and your tips, Lawrence. If folks need to in finding extra about what you’re operating on at Consume Large Virtual, what’s a just right position to search out y’all on-line?
Lawrence Edmondson: The most productive position could be LinkedIn. So on LinkedIn, Lawrence Edmondson on LinkedIn. After which our web site, weeatbig.com. The ones are the 2 puts that you’ll find me.
Thanks such a lot, Document. It’s been a excitement.
Document Pop: It’s been a excitement. Yeah.
And because of the listeners for paying attention to this episode of Press This, a WordPress group podcast on WMR. Please discuss with Torquemag.io to look transcribed variations of those podcasts, plus extra WordPress information and tutorials. You’ll additionally subscribe to Press This on RedCircle, iTunes, Spotify, or anywhere you in finding your podcasts.
I’m your host, Dr. Standard. I improve the WordPress group thru my function at WP Engine, and I like spotlighting contributors of that group every week on Press This.
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