SXSW Interactive is Dead | Hacker News Reader

SXSW Interactive is Dead

blogs.sfweekly.com

11 pointsbwaldorf6 comments

My attitude is that you find what you're looking for. SXSW is definitely connecting with an audience, and which audience it connects with will change over time. If you're drifting out of the core audience, then admit that, accept that, and move on.

Personally I had a blast. And I had some very interesting conversations with some of the very folks he was complaining about. I'm glad they were there, found it relevant, and enjoyed themselves. They will be back next year, and that is a good thing.

However I am more of a back-end person. It was fun, informative, entertaining, but mostly not particularly relevant for me. So I'll likely take my own advice and not come back. (Though I may change my mind if I'm lucky enough to be asked to be on a panel again. And there were some very good sessions.)

the same vague shit people say every year

Odd, I thought her blog post was quite specific about the things she was complaining about.

I'm given a lot of pause by how many techies can't wrap their heads around the idea of people minding drunken assholes, gropers, and thieves.

EDIT: And looking at both posts, isn't both of their objections exactly "a crowd of new attendees that I don't want to meet"?

I think SXSW was a mess this year - but it was still a worthwhile conference to be at.

Was advertising everywhere and totally in your face? Yes. Were there a million people trying to get into the parties? Yes. Did all the panels totally suck? Yes (this is something the author totally failed to mention BTW.)

The benefit to going to SXSW is to see / meet people in your space. The most important part is just being there, and getting awesome introductions. The noise is totally outrageous. I don't think anyone launching a product (including us) would be able to make huge waves unless you already had nice little buzz going.

SXSW is amazing because everyone from SF, LA, NYC, Austin, and a million other places come together expecting to meet people.

One last thing - Nick posted this comment: I am part of the mid-to-high-profile blogger/media crowd; I'm entitled, but I know how shitty I sound saying that I'm entitled. We're the crowd who demands VIP access.

Dude you are so lame it hurts. All these parties were the same. Do you really need to get drunk and have awkward social media conversations at 3 AM? Do I really want to watch an overweight blogger try to ride a mechanical bull? Sure the parties are fun (for a moment) but like btilly said, its all about what your looking for. If I am looking for a party I would much rather go to music (hot girls,) you go to interactive to get a feel for the people in the digital space and what they are trying to do. But yes... last year was a little cooler.

"It was cooler before you people showed up"

We see this with twitter, message boards, and (heck) anywhere people gather. I want to be in the cool club, but no one after me because "those people" don't get it or are lame. Who is "worth" following? Same feelings, different groups.

Yeah, this is so common (most of all among hipsters) that it must just be an effect of human nature. I remember how amusing it was when Nirvana unexpectedly hit the bigtime and all the indie types who had been raving about them as gods suddenly were forced into "Nirvana sucks, they sold out" mode. Cognitive dissonance in action!

If other people steal the emblems of my identity (by liking the same band I like, or going to the same conference I do), it's as if they're stealing my soul. Worst case scenario, I might have to admit that I'm not that different from the average guy. That's a bitter pill for a lot of us, especially those who were raised with or otherwise acquired the idea that we're exceptional or superior.

An interesting irony about this is that the ego dynamic underlying it all is so primitive and so identical.

It's more of a natural diffusion of common sociological binding properties with increases in cohort size than ego.

In small, cohesive groups communication IS simultaneously MORE efficient and MORE intimate.

As the group size grows, the differing mixtures of shared properties amongst its participants grows. There are more total possible channels for signal-based bonding, but also more noise. With choice comes confusion, ambivalence, and even rejection.

In the extreme case, the original cohesive set of properties in the "core culture" can be bifurcated or disappear altogether.

It's no different than what happened on the original Fidonet, The Well, or the infamous AOL-invasion of the academic Internet.

SXSW has simply gotten too big for the original cultural center to hold.

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