Digiwonder?

How can it be August? The summer is flying and I’m about to finish my first two Masters courses at Johns Hopkins. One of my professors, Nicco Mele, has asked us all to blog about something we learned or didn’t understand.

What I don’t understand is what I think nobody fully understands. What will tomorrow look like? That’s what I really want to know.

Last January, I traveled in Patagonia where I visited Torres del Paine, a national park in Chile. On one hike, we trekked up and down the edges of wind swept mountains for about 3 hours. Then, the last hour of the hike was straight up. We scrambled over boulders and rocks, trying to reach the towering peaks above. What looked like it would take 10 minutes, took more than 60. And several times, I thought I was at the top, but then realized there was still more to go. Finally, when we did get to the top, the view was different than any of us could have predicted. For starters, we didn’t reach the towers. They were still a football field or so away. And actually, it was impossible to reach them as we were separated by an aqua mountain lake nestled in a deep valley.

For me, there’s an analogy between that hike and all that I’ve learned this summer. I’ve been climbing up a steep mountain of information, wondering when I will be “on top,” and able to see out in front of me to tomorrow. I desperately want to be able to predict where we are going and to be in front of the trends. But for now, I just keep climbing, looking back down the mountain now and then to see how far I’ve come, but plodding steadily upward. But the tricky thing about this mountain is as I climb, it keeps growing. The online world is evolving so rapidly, I wonder if I’ll ever hit any kind of peak. If and when I do, I won’t be surprised at all if the view I see is completely different than what I expected to find.

Regarding all that I’ve learned, I think perhaps the greatest knowledge I’ve gained is perspective. I feel I have a much better handle on the context in which Internet trends are evolving and growing. The Web and all that’s happening on it sits within a fascinating nexus of technological advances, society’s response to industrialization, and human psychology. It’s a strange mix of being all at once new each day and just a different form of something old.

Another thing I’ve learned? Blogging’s kind of fun. But it stinks when nobody gives you comments.