Two weeks ago, I posted about people who are bringing the DIY ethic to funerals. For my latest essay over at GOOD, I thought a bit more about this concept and how it might be part of a larger quest for authenticity. From GOOD:
As cyberspace becomes a “layer” on top of the physical world and we spend more of our lives online, a new-found appreciation emerges for authentic experiences, interactions, and goods. I think that’s part of why so many people are embracing the “maker mindset” of DIY culture, from Stitch and Bitch to Maker Faire…Last year, my colleagues and I at Institute for the Future spent a day brainstorming with James Gilmore and Joe Pine, authors of the famous business book Experience Economy. Their latest book, Authenticity, is about what the demand for truly “real” things means for business strategy. It was fascinating to think with them about the myriad contexts in which questions of authenticity arise. What does “authentic” mean on a Bourbon Chicken Grill’N Dip label that boasts of “authentic food court flavor”? Or in Las Vegas, where the fakeness itself is authentic? Or in death?
DIY Funerals and the Quest for Authenticity
- Boing Boing on GOOD: "All the Web's A Stage" – Boing Boing
- Boing Boing on GOOD: You Are Your Data – Boing Boing
- Boing Boing on GOOD: "My Ecologically Correct Move." – Boing Boing
- Boing Boing on GOOD: A Mayan Village Reacts to Obama – Boing Boing
- Boing Boing on GOOD: Digital TV Now! – Boing Boing
- Boing Boing posts on GOOD! – Boing Boing