"Twitter will do lots of dumb things in coming months" | Creativity News 11/14/22
"Twitter will do lots of dumb things in coming months" | Creativity News 11/14/22
Monday Motion: Experimenting on a large, large scale
"Twitter will do lots of dumb things in coming months" | Creativity News 11/14/22
Previously I have said I wanted to avoid letting this Monday Motion headline-oriented edition of the newsletter become Elon Musk-obsessed.
That being said, I find it interesting — what he’s saying about the process of reinventing Twitter.
I’m not one to try and compose odes to business figures such as Musk though.
Never hitch your wagon to anything that’ll wear-down your wheels.
Defending a provocateur is an unwise game to play, ergo I never set out to sing the praises of any figure who invites criticism openly.
While I do show up to the occasional Bear-Poking Competition, I think such heated debate is best left at the door for our purposes here.
Still, the problem is still very much tangled up in what’s happening in the social media atmosphere with Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover.
It is being challenged as being chaotic.
As you all probably know, Musk has been working to convert the blue-check system into a paywall for Twitter.
Musk, it would seem, considers the system to be somewhat elite in character, thus it follows perhaps to put a price on it as the “great leveler.”
Twitter is embroiled in much division about Musk’s leadership.
He killed his secondary check-mark system that had been added.
After that, he sent this tweet.
I have a perspective about the Twitter turmoil.
When receiving financial advice, your “risk tolerance” might be assessed.
A handy concept I would propose is “chaos tolerance.”
Risk tolerance may have to do with danger posed of placing assets in a set of circumstances where they may accrue more interest — or of course, be diminished by fallout of markets.
Chaos tolerance would have to do with the danger of multiple variables being posed as you’re attempting to form or develop an asset.
I think of it as a concept applicable to most creative endeavors.
If you’re building a business, and despite having prudently planned, you’re going to end up at a point where your role becomes “flaming bowling pin-juggler” as opposed to solely “trailblazer.”
If you’re working on a piece of art, and you’re not confident where it’s going, you’re going to have to embrace a certain level of chaos.
If you’re making a film, you might as well be doing somersaults on a sleighride down a hill head-first until the picture goes out to be put on YouTube or in theatres.
Twitter is not taking this transition period well because the collective public has a low chaos tolerance.
A high level of chaos tolerance is necessary while reinventing the plane as you fly it.
Sometimes it requires you to get on the intercom and reassure the passengers by telling them that “dumb things” will be done.
But that’s part of making the plane work better.
Maybe not a perfect metaphor.
Still, it speaks to the deep needs of reorienting and reworking based on a new vision.
This sort of experimentation — call it beta-testing or what-have-you — is usually felt on a much smaller scale.
The ripple effect is being felt in this case.
The complications are greater at this scale.
That does not mean you ought not “keep what works & change what doesn’t.”
Bold, brilliant, and buffoonish ideas can only be sorted once they are externalized.
If you’re going to bring great ideas into the world, you’re going to have to try dumb things too.
Otherwise, you’re burning up major potential while trying to burn off the bad ideas.
While we’ll really just have to wait and see what becomes of Twitter, there’s reason to be actively curious and intrigued about its future right now.
Video of the Week
“They love every pattern of nature, whatever it is.”
Walter Isaacson in this interview with Charlie Rose breaks down Leonardo da Vinci’s insights.
He references Steve Jobs’ interest in the intersection of the liberal arts and technology.
He also mentions Ben Franklin’s interest in the whirlwinds.
Here he dives deeper into Leonardo’s inspiring and bewitching curiosity.