Stanford Seminar - Forecasting and Predicting the Future of the Future

TL;DR

Organizing public speaking events has become challenging due to a shift in communication methods and a decrease in willingness to be public figures.

Transcript

welcome to uh ee 380 for april 20th uh 2022. uh my name is dennis allison i uh curate the course and uh today i happen to be the lecturer as well uh and we're going to try to explain why that's happened um i think we're in a this is a difficult time for everybody um and uh i've had well i have been doing the 380 course for quite a long time i think... Read More

Key Insights

• 📢 The post-pandemic era has made it challenging to find speakers for public speaking events due to various factors such as decreased awareness and desire for publicizing oneself.
• 🫵 The shift towards online communication has significantly impacted the availability of speakers, as people now prefer sharing their views online rather than through public speaking engagements.
• 💌 Traditional methods of contacting potential speakers, such as email, are becoming less effective, and platforms like Twitter are gaining prominence.
• 🤗 The lack of willingness to address controversial topics like vaccinations and global warming highlights the challenges in encouraging open discussions.
• 😮 The rise of false information on the internet, particularly in scientific matters, has eroded trust in science and created disruption.
• 🤨 The lack of action on known problems, such as global warming and forest fires, raises concerns about society's collective ability to address urgent issues.
• 🌐 The ongoing conflicts and tensions between countries add complexity to global decision-making and affect various sectors, including technology.

Questions & Answers

Q: Why has it become difficult to find speakers for public speaking events in the post-pandemic era?

The decrease in awareness and willingness to be public figures, along with the shift towards online communication, has made it challenging to find speakers for public speaking events.

Q: What are some reasons people are not as interested in publicizing themselves through public speaking engagements?

The ease of sharing videos and views online, as well as the desire for privacy, have reduced the motivation to engage in public speaking events.

Q: How has the shift to online communication affected the availability of speakers?

People are more inclined to share their views online through platforms like Twitter, rather than participating in public speaking engagements. This has reduced the pool of available speakers.

Q: Why are potential speakers not responding to emails?

Many people do not read their emails regularly and prefer to communicate through other channels, such as social media platforms like Twitter.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• In the post-pandemic era, it has become difficult to find speakers for public speaking events due to a decrease in awareness and willingness to be public figures.

• The shift towards online communication and the ease with which anyone can share their views has reduced the desire for publicizing oneself through public speaking engagements.

• Contacting potential speakers has become more challenging, as people are not responsive to emails and prefer online platforms like Twitter.