We Brained Up A Storm!

The brainstorm in class today helped me stir up some thoughts I want to develop. Here are the highlights:

The digital divide in America is a topic I could get passionate about. There must be a way to address these problems:

• An entrenched underclass among American minorities
• An emerging underclass among white Americans
• The learning gap created by lack of technological tools or understanding and a lack of good teachers/mentors
• The achievement gap encouraged by a lack of engagement with the world

With these tools:

• Open access technologies
• Low-cost tech infrastructure
• Community hubs (physical and digital)
• volunteer mentors
• Innovative tools for research, creating, and sharing

Also, I'm curious about the desire to serve that is manifesting itself among the intellectual and digitally connected echelon of society. The TED Talks are an interesting phenomenon. Have we seen similar movements in history? The establishment of scientific and philosophical societies in the 1700s aren't quite the same. Those were focused on developing a particular field. TED has become something dedicated to the general improvement of the human condition, however attained (possibly with the exclusion of religious means.)

Why this interest? Of course it's a good thing, but what is motivating it? A popular author recently said that he wished someone had told him that 'when you get to the top there's nothing there'. Is it possible that the upper-middle class is weary of self-indulgence and turning to service and human connections to find satisfaction? 

Also, it seems like I read an article recently about how members of the rising generation expect an element of service to be a part of their career. If that's the case, is it a new phenomenon? Surely preceding generations of Americans were engaged in selfless causes. But those efforts may have been separate from career goals. Compartmentalization. Multitasking (or the attempt to) seems to have risen dramatically with the tide of digital culture. Are we trying to combine service with earning a living as a result? Or is it simply because the tools to connect that we have now make it easier than it ever was. The desire may have always been there.

I'll add a caveat: any honorable work can be accurately described as providing service to society. When I talk about a service element as a part of a career here I mean that one of the main purposes of the business is to address a problem in society.

One last thought for this post:

What will be the first amendment to the U.S. Constitution that is directly related to the digital age?

Perhaps it will involve personal information rights. Perhaps it will involve copyright law. Maybe it will be an attempt to safeguard infrastructure?