Do you DOUCHE? Its my first year at the #SXSW Festival. I’ve been nervous about coming here for the last month or so since we got invited as a finalist as part of their business accelerator for Correlate, the thing we haven’t really talked about that makes it so the American people are heard by their elected leaders in congress. Not only is this huge for us and we’re lucky to be here in a way that cuts through the clutter, but the magnitude of this place still remains quite intimidating. The Texas-sized amount of social media goobleygoo– as a I call it– that swarm this place has always made me feel quite allergic from a distance. This week I normally attend the completely unlisted #NXNW.
Accordingly, if we weren’t invited I don’t think we would have come. The idea that people would try to get attention for their social media goobleygoo HERE amongst all the biggest hype machines in the entire world borderlines past insanity. One could argue(and they might be right) that this is really the only place that most SOCIAL MEDIA GOOBLEYGOO actually makes sense or works in a real world context(which instantly attaching humanity and physicality to your TWEETS or TASK RABBIT can be quite illuminating). Or maybe its just the dream of endless space that is Texas where there may still be oil(I was born here), or maybe its just the way we do things in America through reality show contests of humiliation and getting voted off the island (I was born there too).
The amount of OPTIMISM and HOPE, albiet DOUCHEY, thats enveloped in all who come here– even if they’re only doing this stuff mostly for their own personal ambition to STRIKE IT BIG and SELL OUT — is honest, genuine and uniquely optimistic at its core.
So this week– yes sir, I Douche. (one way to see the humanity in douching, is its one person’s failed, sloppy, selfish attempt at providing food and companionship for oneself).
I’m going to be writing from here all week.