Blend Web Mix 2018
The high mass of digital technology in Lyon, the Blend Web Mix 2018, made the hearts of the convention center and ours beat for 2 days.
So much to see and so much to do. So much to say too.
A day of conferences for me, the first in this case, pumped up by the adrenaline of a first participation. Doped with coffee and love of neighbor too, but that was before seeing Alibaba's closing presentation (I'll come back to that).
After entering the building, it is in Room 3000 and its amphitheater that I find myself immersed, about ten minutes late, at a conference which was, in my opinion, the one which killed the game in one chrono hour.
PEEROCRACY: TAKE BACK THE POWER
This masterful opening keynote of Blend Web Mix 2018Aral Balkan poses a very simple problem. “Are we still humans or just products? ".
His introduction aims to demonstrate with many examples the extent to which our lives have become intimately linked to the data that we have shared everywhere on the Internet and more particularly with Google and Facebook.
Ok, so far, nothing transcendent, we're pushing with the open door.
The point is precisely to prescribe a huge booster shot. By reaffirming our herd behavior and lacking perspective on the exploitation of our personal data, but also by recalling the game that is played in the background between venture capital investors and startupers (aka: “I’m banking on the valuation of your company when you sell and exit”).
By proposing a credible alternative to digital corporatocracy (sic) – in other words the lobbie(s) represented by these companies which exercise control over individuals, he simply proposes to act with hindsight and take back our freedom in hand. The booster shot officially turns into concentrated optimism, just that.
Not very far from being close to perfection in substance and form, I can ONLY recommend that you take the time to watch this Keynote in its entirety. – No spoiler: know that the solution is there, right under our noses and that individually we just need to cross the rubicon ourselves.
I told you that we really had to, really love it, watch this conference in its entirety? Ok. It was just in case.
MENTAL MODELS: OBVIOUS STUFF ARE NOT OBVIOUS
Jean-Christophe Paris takes over in the amphitheater, where the audience is visibly still stunned by the previous conference. The theme is just as interesting: “Mental models and interaction design”.
I cannot say that I learned anything new during this conference. But I can nevertheless confirm my great interest in the work of Jean-Christophe, Doctor in Human Factors Engineering. He has obviously carried out enormous documentary work on perception, habits, cognitive biases of which we unfortunately only had a too brief glimpse.
This is the moment of the morning when this analogy crossed my mind: “Oh man, it’s like a festival. There are artists that you discover and that you would like to hear for more than 45 minutes. »
That said, I invite you to watch his conference, with his anecdote about the accident at Lyon station. It is extremely revealing of what seems obvious and what is absolutely not.
BUZZWORDS: BLOCKCHAIN, AI
I like to repeat that you have to know the taste of vinegar to appreciate that of honey. And if Aral and Jean-Christophe were the sure (and sweet) values of my morning, we must recognize that it was not the same for the rest of the day.
Very quickly on the conference concerning Blockchain: it talks about ICO (Initial Coin Offering – i.e. fundraising via the issuance of assets exchangeable for cryptocurrencies), the reintroduction of trust as a cardinal value (Moui, although this is very debatable), and how everyone could become an actor in this blockchain (Ah!).
I would have loved to see this presentation accompanied by examples of blockchains that are less obvious than the sale of services, benefits or cryptocurrency, because by the admission of Jean-Charles Cabelguen, the public's distinction between Bitcoin and Blockchain distorts the text explanations a little.
The projects carried out by iExec, where Jean-Charles plays the role of Chief Innovation & Adoption seems exciting. The profiles lined up in their team would make everyone in the sector green with envy. I therefore intend to devote myself to additional documentation in the coming weeks, after coming away a little frustrated from the presentation.
(By the way, I am still fascinated by the propensity to create new hyper-convoluted names for professions – here Head of Awareness and Innovation.)
Disjointed interventions through interaction with the public
An hour spent in the company ofAmélie Cordier et Yoann Long on artificial intelligence confirmed to me that impromptu question and answer sessions could be a bad idea.
Their level of discourse and their impeccable knowledge of the field were unable to supplant good preparation, a very human one, allowing them to have a logical common thread.
From almost too obvious popularization to foresight to neural networks, there is clearly more than a marathon to run. And even if their interventions were always enlightening, they were mostly disjointed by the interaction with the public.
But hey, “Festival, concert, artist” I repeated to myself, while adding to my thoughts “It would be so funny if groups came on stage without a setlist, asking the audience: What are we playing for you? »
ALIBABA: BLACK MIRROR IS THE NEW BLACK
We come to the paragon of despair.
In the morning, Aral Balkan looked like a digital Jedi and in the evening, the Empire descended on the amphitheater.
I admit to having innocently believed that Alibaba was one of those very high growth companies in China in a market where digital supported an ethical user experience... No, I'm kidding. Forget ethics. Forget growth.
We are in a world of hyper-growth.
YOU. Are. A consumer.
In half a dozen videos, Alibaba explains with catchy folk music and a hyper-smiling and cheerful Ron Howard lookalike how hegemonic they have become.
Hyper-connected stores where hundreds of thousands of delivery people bend over backwards to satisfy the demands of consumers who do not deign to carry their shopping. With car vending machines (real cars!) in the middle of the street, like for candy from your newsagent. Interactive programs that allow you to scan your TV and buy the clothes worn by models. With 12 year olds shaking phones to get coupons for their favorite brand. Traffic lines intended only for people who have their eyes glued to their phones. With Starbucks, which half-heartedly admits “having contracted with the only player in China that allowed them to quickly reach the market to deliver coffees to your home or office. With a bank, a means of payment, a loyalty program and just about all the personal information that allows them to take full control of your every move.
I remember turning to my neighbor on the left, Sylvain, who simply said to me: “but that’s Black Mirror. »
Totally.
We watch Black Mirror, this brilliant anticipation/science fiction series, shuddering at the idea that a fraction of the writers' ideas could one day become a standard. But the truth is that Alibaba does everything, absolutely everything so that you don't have time to realize that you're already in it.
Big realization.
“It’s already there”
I who have always carried – with a non-naive determination – the conviction of an ethical digital transformation, respectful of the individual, their work, their daily life; in his service, in short, I admit to feeling a little dizzy.
There were GAFAM (Google, Amazon, Facebook, Apple, Microsoft) opposed to BATX (Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent, Xiaomi), but honestly the tide is turning much faster than I thought.
Laura Pho Duc, Director of Marketing and Communications for Alibaba France, came to write the article on Chinese consumers. And in the background, without ever saying it out loud, tell us to what extent Alibaba is already essential for developing local business.
I leave with a new conviction about the Black Hat/White Hat distinction. They apply to all areas of digital, and I have definitely chosen my side.
Spoiler alert: Peerocracy.
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TL; DR
Take back control of your personal data and don't be a pusher.
Breathe calmly: you can change things and it only depends on your individual initiatives.
Thank you Blend Web Mix 2018!
