This post was mentioned on Twitter by adverts: The Coming Age of Augmentation: As in thrall as we may be to the firehose of new stuff drenching us in the here.. http://bit.ly/3R2A7c...

You’ve also reminded me that an appreciation of this stuff provides us with a new well of storytelling & product/service development ideas to dip into on behalf of brands (yes, I’m still on that tip, though your point about bathos is graciously taken, I promise ). Sci-fi writers are naturally right at the forefront of transmedia and other new forms of interactive storytelling.

Thank you for this inspiring comment, it’s got us thinking again, as always.

So much here, and I’d like to pick out one thought of yours – the point about the role of science fiction. Employing a science-fiction writer in residence is something that we’ve discussed many times at Made by Many, so I love the Toffler quote you made:

“It’s not only OK to think about the future but, the more you do, the more ideas you’ll have about the present.”

I’m not talking about the kind of ‘fantasy’ sci-fi that’s set millions of years of in the future, or the seriously scientific, so-called ‘hard sci-fi’ stuff. I’m thinking of social and speculative (of course I am) sci-fi and Cyberpunk – particularly authors like Neal Stephenson and William Gibson.

These writers in particular (in my opinion) work as cultural seers, or prophets, like sub-conscious John The Baptists operating over the horizon of our media convergence culture.

Their writing and communities of fans operate as a kind of collective scenario-planning, a massive multi-player tasting session, or sampling menu.

Bruce Sterling, who I have been lucky enough to see talk a couple of times, is the person who most encapsulates this cultural role for me, and provides the best example of a link between very real digital cultures and sci-fi.

As you know, I found his talk at the end of last year’s SXSWi totally invigorating – largely because of his ability to assemble a billion seemingly disparate and rapidly moving bits into something like a kind of narrative (or at least a series of pretty cool riffs). But the best thing about him – as I remember discussing with you at the time – was the fact that he took the discussion beyond marketing communications. I found that refreshing because the marketing bit is – for me, on a purely personal level – by far the least interesting bit about the future, indeed it almost seems trivial alongside the really BIG questions you write about here.

I *know* you have to tie all this back to brands, and I’m not having a go – but it felt slightly like the Bruce Sterling experience in reverse reading all your exciting stuff and then having to do the “so, what are the takeaways for brands…” bit.

Crikey, that’s a twisted compliment I know (and I fear that once again I have become sidetracked) but it is a compliment I promise: you, chez Bruce, as it were.

Hypocritical to the end, I would still like to throw the idea that brands and agencies should consider employing a futurologist or social/soft sci-fi writer to help them look over the horizon.

Like the Fool or storyteller at the courts of Dark Age kings, the future dude can help us all make sense of the chaos and wrap some narrative scenarios around the torrent of data. I’ve heard Twitter described as being ‘waterboarded with information’ recently – again, not sure who said that but I like it. I suppose this ‘extreme foresighting’ role could really help us get through that with that.

But though I never thought about it explicitly, you are correct in that the themes discussed here have a bunch in common with what Masamune liked to explore in detail in his work. I guess the same could be said for Phillip K Dick? I dunno, aint read em.

Anyway, great connection you pointed out!