Recently on a Digital Britain Forum, Stephen Fry had a panel discussion about their Digital Strategy. He was presented as an Ordinary Person on the board.
But, unfortunately, he responded in a sarcastic way on its strategy. He says that he is frustrated by the current situation of Digital skill building in the UK. Which is of course, a true thing! Because most of the newspapers are still running on old digital strategies, which is of no use in today’s technology world.
The funny thing is that Stephen Fry’s statements were published by the Digital Britain Forum on the same day.
Here I provided a complete record of the communication on the Digital Britain Forum. I have edited a little bit of the statements and made certain corrections regarding the misspeaking and tried to convey certain things in a more easy-to-understand way. Otherwise, the essence of the speech’s transcript is in its original meaning.
Note: In case you want to read an exact transcript as an unedited form, you can get the PDF on the Digital Britain Forum – also there, you can find the video.
Stephen Fry Talks
Firstly, he talks about the latest content uploading techniques getting viral nowadays. He says that Web2.0, a great platform for people to share informative content, got so popular with time – which people were just wondering years ago.
Now, with advancement the world-wide-web allowed users to generate content and enabled individuals to submit & contribute their work and content in any form – either written, video or image. Besides downloading, users can now publish their work too.
Somehow things are still changing as the algorithms are updating. Social Media sites, including YouTube, Facebook and more that helps net citizens to upload their content and be recognised by others. (A real-life example can be YouTuber’s, who are getting fame due to their skills, uploading content and getting viral.)
Stephen Fry said in a sarcastic way that this world of skills is strange to me.
“I literally don’t understand,” he says loudly.
He further said: “I don’t understand what a digital skill is. I literally don’t understand.”
Well, here he tries to say that it sounds confusing to him – what a digital skill is because he thinks people have changed the actual perspective of a digital skill.
Further adds, “I am not trying to be funny or smart anyway. I don’t know what we are talking about. Is it teaching how to use a mouse or open a website or browser is digital skill?
He claims that this is not a digital skill. It is just like teaching someone how to drive a car.
In this world of cars, I never see a debate where people get together to talk about traffic rules. {Laughter}
“It’s so peculiar!!” he continues…
He says that it sounds weird to me that we are gathered over here and telling people to learn digital skills instead of telling them how they can do it.
He shares his personal experience when he meets the Director-General, BBC, in the early ’90s and tells them that they should create a website for the BBC.
At that time, the Director-General had no idea about the internet or website. And does it actually exists? Even his co-workers were unaware of these things. I was the only one there trying to drive their attention towards a new website concept.
He added that I am not trying to be an expert or god-sent-angel here. I am trying to say that the things at a startup may sound strange to you.
If we look at the 1930s, the “bumper book of science when DC motor was invented” contains extraordinary engineering concepts. The writer figures out a clear picture in the future where electric motors will drive all household items.
In the 1930s, the book claims that how we all will become well-educated with electric motors. As electric motors are going to lead our culture.
Later the thing happens right the way he describes in his book. You can see every home contains Kitchen and home improvement appliances. The thing is, you don’t need to know how they operate.
All you need to know is, “What do you want these electronics to perform for you?”
Either you want to run a CD drive, make a toast, or maybe want to wash your clothes. Fine. But in any case, you will have to know the purpose you are using it for. When you know the purpose, you will get the electric motor machine to work best for you.
No one is going to give you a motor or an engine to work for you.
Similarly, people build websites – without telling them what CMS, JAVA, Coding or more is. You tell people to build websites instead of telling the nerdy things like coding and languages. Getting the point?
Is it a Digital Skill?
He admires that despite digital technology helping us in our lives. But if you visit an office, you will see people who used to have secretaries are their own secretary. They are operating and handling various tasks that an accountant used to operate.
They are operating word processors and excel spreadsheets that a secretary used to operate. “They are using technology as it were to do things.” Sitting in front of the screen and trying to be productive. He roasted in a funny way: Is it your digital skill?
I don’t know! What are we really speaking about?
{Laughter}
{Applause}
BBC Conversion over Digital Media
After this, he throws light on the BBC switchover to digital media by launching their website on the internet. He stated that switching to the internet or digital media is as simple as changing your television.
However, the difference is as simple as the addition of a set-top box
He said he could take out his mobile and send a recorded message when away from home. Yes, these are genius gadgets.
“I don’t want to be reskilled into anything” He denied being reskilled and emphasis on training lessons for the new piece of hardware or technical aspect. We work for the job!
He added that we live in an era where people lack the view of the online world and have restricted it to themselves with some illusions.
If we had this speech in 1994, then I am going to respond to this speech as God has sent some prophetic people who are going to change this world to some online format.
In reference to the 1990s, he said that it “Would have made no difference. Because in the 1990s, Ian McNaughton on the BBC was doing this how you operate your microcomputer. We have the microcomputer club. It was a very good and noble thing for the BBC to do to attempt to show people how to use a microcomputer, a BBC computer.”
However, it was a great deed done by the BBC to teach people how to use microcomputers. But it made not have a slight impact on people {Laughter}
Literally, it didn’t make any difference.
Getting Back to the Driving Analogy
After this, he quoted his previous Analogy regarding driving lessons.
Certainly, that’s accurate. We all have to take a few lessons or training sessions to learn how to drive a car. During these sessions, you go through the right techniques to move the gears, steering and more.
Then you learn about the traffic rules and develop the skills. It is one of the best analogies to refer to here. This reference example is great but works as good as the phrase – Digital!
Intentionally or not, this is a Digital phrase of a very persuasive book that was printed and hugely fruitful. In this book, the writer pointed out a long time ago about the online world. At the same time, Tim Berners Lee was working on World Wide Web.
You will agree that the word Digital should be replaced by electronic as written by the author of the book.
He said we send and receive files that are no longer in molecular or atomic shape in the digital world. Literally, they are weightless.
Simple to Operate – Internet
In reference to the above Analogy, if you send a picture by a motorcycle or a courier, it has some weight and is made up of atoms.
He said, if we send a picture using electronic media, then there are no electrons, atoms or molecules all the way. Honestly, electrons are taking up the techniques we are using to exchange information.
When we are in traffic, we need a driving test because we are humans made up of atoms. Our cars are made up of atoms, so if they smash with one another, there is a chance of death. {Laughter}
But, luckily, you don’t need a driving licence to operate the computer or the internet.
It is a beneficial thing to learn and practice. In fact, a simple task than learning to drive a car.
“But it’s useful to know how to drive. It is as simple as that,” he says.
“I am literally Baffled.”
He says I accept that’s all here we are discussing the digital world, upskilling and more. But I am confused!
I am quite surprised that people sitting in the offices talk about upskilling the digital world. Whereas the pieces of paper are produced around them.
He said I just want to create a Charlie Chaplin Parody about it. It looks silly and insane, seriously. {Laughter}
Question Answer Session
After that, there was a question-answer session between the speakers and the people on the floor regarding Driving Analogy.
Nick Higham Speaks:
Give the last few words without the driving Analogies.
Stephen Fry Speaks again:
I am going to change my driving example.
An Analogy is just a simple referring example, not a congruency. {Laughter}
He further said that human beings do not change much. He doesn’t believe that the digital world, the internet or computers can change us. However, we had these skills to build such electronics that sounds confusing to us.
Analogy “City”
The best example in this regard. Assume that the internet is just like a city than anything else. Our techniques to explore it may be different from the driving, but we are going to enjoy it.
In cities, you can see the shops, entertainment clubs, art galleries, museums, libraries, theatres and much more. We pass through them but hardly notice anything new.
Similarly, we glance at the newspaper headlines but don’t pay attention to the details. Just as we described to use the internet.
The shops remain the same in different cities as they connect to a single chain. In that cities, there are few places where you will not like to go and even keep your children away. Slowly, we let our kids learn these technologies/cities, and they do so.
Later, there are few people that can’t afford to move around the cities, while others prefer to stay in the countryside.
He said that “All I am saying is we recognise this the way humans are, it’s the way we structure our lives, the way we always have.” In even simpler words, he is trying to say that the digital world is similar to the way we are. Don’t imagine that it is something new or weird, it is how we are having our lives.
New World of Internet – We Need to Understand
“I would look back at history to try to understand the internet,” he says.
He believes that if I try to understand its history, not looking forward to where it is today, we need to develop another jargon for it.
Well, that’s not necessary. Because he believes that, “The points made about those cut out of whatever profit, whatever joy, whatever knowledge, whatever extra excitement and pleasure can be gained from a digital world rather than a normal city – then, yes, as a citizen it’s our duty, but that’s my politics if you like, to help them. And to help them by giving free things.”
He said that the internet world couldn’t give you the real city like pleasure, knowledge, profit, and excitement or cut you out from the normal city. But the real beauty lies in helping people, free of whatever we can.
Lastly, he said that let’s not try to make every city like Milton Keynes. But be organic.
The speech ends up here.
