Passive, Fixed or Canned Experience

I just read something that has inspired me more than I have been in a while! It was the transcript of a talk by Clay Shirky entitled Gin, Television, and Social Surplus (do you have any idea how much I love that quirky title??)

I won't lie to ya -- the post is long! But totally worth the read if you are into new media and what lies ahead.

The gist of the article is the author opinion that we (as a culture) are just now figuring out how to deal with our spare time. What spare time, you ask? The time that we spend watching TV. The author makes the case that coming out of WWII more people started into the work force (very true) and there started to be a greater dividing line between work and free-time -- but that we didn't know what to do with our "Cognitive Surplus". Today, people have more options than ever to participate in their free time.

I run a blog and talk to y'all. Some people create movies and post them on YouTube. Some people sell their crafts and art on the web. Some people keep track of their friends and family via Facebook. The point is -- we are moving into an age where people expect to be INCLUDED in the activities that matter to them.

Any time you can have 100+ channels on your cable box and still think there isn't anything on -- we can see our expectations for how we spend our free time have changed.

But maybe it is more than just our free time expectations that have changed. We expect to have a say in our medical care -- working with our doctors to make decisions for our health -- not being told or just accepting what the first doc to come along says is Gospel.

The ability to custom design our Nike running shoes in colors and styles that suit our particulars doesn't suprise us anymore. The fact we can create them and have them on our feet in less than two weeks may be exciting but doesn't really surprise us any more -- it is what we expect.

So ... what about the diet experiences? Do you want a one size fits all diet??? Do you want your weight management experience to be run by others with no consideration that you are different than every other woman or man participating in the same program? OR....

Is that the only way you have been taught to think about weight management? Looking to "experts" to "fix" you?

My supposition is that the latter is more the case. My hope is we are starting to see that no one knows you better than you. And that you want more out of your life than being told how to live it so you will be "fixed".