Students from the Stanford d.school catalyzed a Flashmob yesterday. They had an assignment to design a manifestation of positive infectious behavior, and this is one result. Not a typical design assignment, but we’re not running your average design school, either.
By the way, this Spring I’ll be co-teaching an entire d.school course titled Creating Positive Infectious Behavior with Bob Sutton.
Who knows what cool stuff will come out of it!
Hip – the phenomena of finding the newest up and coming ‘thing’ and introducing it to the social order though semi-subtle use. The ‘thing’ can be action oriented, an object, a term or any other behavioral artifact. Introduction is key and the minute this ‘thing’ has been adopted by the mortals or followers (regular people) it is dropped. The obvious exception being the case that this ‘thing’ results in fame, money, sustained cool, or the promise of getting laid.
Note: pure hip theory says that the moment the advocator is aware or conscious of the hip ‘thing’ – it is ceases to be hip.
Hip 2.0 – the retro version. The resurrection of something old as it becomes retro cool. For example: muscle cars, 70’s motorcycles, bellbottoms, bowling shoes and led zeppelin. This is particularly acute for boomers and their children. If these things have never stopped being cool to you, then they really don’t count so much.
Re your fun-sounding new course with Bob, I hope you post your suggested readings, in-class talking points and/or assignments.
A relatively recent book that may be of interest for the course:
Us and Them. By the way, I am quoting you in my next issue of the Say it Better ezine.
– another new fan of metacool