The one where I try not to rant about the phrase "too much time on their hands"

🎶 Now I don't know what to do with myself 🎶

Jan 21

You are reading Social Signals, Greg’s weekly email about creative, technology, and cultural signals worth noting. Today’s email was written to “Too Much Time On My Hands” by Styx. If you haven’t already subscribed, there’s a big button right there!

hi.

I was commuting to downtown Minneapolis one day this week and dictated a long, meandering rant into my phone about folks who use the phrase “someone has too much time on their hands” and the nerve of outright dismissing something that brought someone else pleasure and gave them energy… when you yourself literally didn’t spend that time to create, concept, craft, and launch something into the world and… what does that say about you that you can’t respect someone else’s time to put into their own passion anyway? I was seriously yelling in the car. Then I listened to Styx…

Then I went deep on Twitter listening and found a ton of examples of using this phrase to dismiss art and technology that ended up being transformative in culture. Then I pulled a Google Trends chart that shows a rise in people using that phrase over the years and worked to find data points of how and why that could be.

But then I decided not to send any of that in my email this week. Because someone may accuse me of having too much time on my hands. So let’s change the subject to something more familiar.

This week I caught this old tweet that both spoke to me and also is exemplary of how a lot of people in my network feel about the metaverse and NFTs.

mark @TheCatWhisprer

Used to wonder why my parents couldn’t grasp technology but now anytime I see something new I’m like “I’m not learning that.”

I wrote about this hesistancy to new technology trends some in December (Why do we tune out when people talk about Web3, blockchain, crypto, and NFTs?), and it’s that tension where I’m focusing lately – as I’m crafting slides and talking points for some speaking coming up later this quarter.

Just look at the news this week:

Twitter added NFT profile pics (check mine out here!).
Microsoft is acquiring Activision in a $69 billion metaverse bet.
Facebook and Instagram are reportedly exploring plans to make, showcase, and sell NFTs.
People widely mocked a metaverse rave that looked boring and dead.
Digital artist Andrés Reisinger and architect Alba de la Fuente debuted a gorgeous modernist house to showcase the beauty and architectual possibilities in the metaverse.
Coinbase is partnering with Mastercard to classify NFTs as “digital goods” and buy them with Mastercards.

I absolutely understand this is a complicated space and not everyone has the mental and emotional capacity to invest energy and brainpower into new things. Especially when these new things are not directly solving existing issues like systemic racism, online safety, hunger, and more.

I also believe that our industry never stops. Change is always afoot. Social undergirds every aspect of marketing, and social is clearly evolving exponentially. Someone always has too much time on their hands making something new for us to learn, experiment with, pilot, and – hopefully, if we’re doing our jobs right as modern marketers – gives us fodder to lead positive change in the world atop an always changing culture.

New technology and its cultural impact is coming. It’s here. Let’s not be the ones putting electrical tape over the blinking 12:00 on the VCR. Let’s be the ones who pull out the manual, figure it out, and program it to tape Seinfeld reruns.

That’s how I’m going to use my time. But that’s a rant for another day. -Greg

See you on the internet!
Greg

PS: If you liked this, do me a solid and smash that “LIKE” with the little heart. And share it. TYSM 🙏🏻

Social Signals by GREG SWAN

The one where I try not to rant about the phrase "too much time on their hands"

🎶 Now I don't know what to do with myself 🎶

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