Thank you for the music, etc

A recent post from Mike White, who I had the pleasure of working with as part of a dynamite in-house and multiple-agency team for the launch of Virgin Media, reminded me how old I'm getting and just how far this thing called the Internet has come.

He now lives in LA but used to run an events and experiential agency called Itch, which delivered the V Festival amongst many other complex and daunting things, and he's recently been urging disappointed music festival bosses to consider virtual gigs and advanced streaming options. He used Dua Lipa's recent performance on the Late Show, which featured perfectly synced musicians, backing singers and dancers, as a great example of what's possible.

In a business world obsessed with digital transformation, data, algorithms, AI, VR, OR and the future of currency, we're used to a steady stream of cutting-edge innovations, futurologists' predictions and articles about the latest break-throughs, which makes it very easy to forget - or become complacent - about the countless benefits of virtual access to people, information, inspiration and entertainment.

This is not intended as some poignant, philosophical point - more a simple reminder to keep the glass-half-full spirit alive. While we all spend lots of time at home, working on Teams, Zoom or Slack, let's not forget the educational and uplifting opportunities to enjoy online too. Yes, get some fresh air however you can, even if it's just through the windows, and definitely spend proper time with any real people who live with you, but it's astounding what you can also still enjoy and be inspired by online (no, not that - filthy mind).

I won't point to any particular sites, attractions or gigs but, aside from the obvious entertainment behemoths like Spotify, YouTube and Netflix, there are some mind-blowing museums, art galleries or music events to take in. Plus many small businesses who've realised they can still offer the public something special, albeit virtually. In fact, as spring kicks in, I'd urge any organisations with existing audio or visual content relating to the great outdoors to think creatively about how they can use it to give people different forms of pleasure over the coming months. Especially for those without gardens.

Again, it's easy to take our smart phones for granted and 5G is starting to create another chapter of invention, but at the very beginning of my communications adventure I actually hand-wrote press releases, which were then typed-up on something called a word processor, before being photocopied and posted out (with photos attached by paper clips). And I'm in my mid-40s, not about to retire.

Indeed, it often feels like my career has followed the development of the web; from being the designated Millennium Bug Officer at my second PR agency (we only had two PCs but it was an honour), to launching the UK's first broadband ISP (blueyonder) during my decade in cable, and then joining a web startup around the time of the financial crash and the advent of web 2.0. I'm no techie, but I've followed and often helped explain each 'revolution' to various stakeholders.

Perhaps I therefore have a slightly fuller appreciation of just how far we've come in only two decades, but Mike's post also reminded me of some fantastic stunts from back in the day, before our time of working together. I've been reminiscing about a series of PR activity that not only proved effective in raising awareness and understanding of what broadband would allow people to do, but also pretty accurate case studies for what we now see streaming, and basic forms of virtual reality, delivering to us all of the time.

Working with the rest of the small but perfectly formed in-house PR team, clever techies like Alex Brown and Fergal Butler, plus Ant Moore and many other creative types at Consolidated Communications, I fondly remember creating the world's first broadband wedding, the first virtual church service, a streamed ghost hunt on Hampstead Heath and even a broadband cookery lesson from the lovely Aldo Zilli (my ravioli were to die for).

So despite the undoubted downsides of super-connectivity, such as misinformation, image-obsession, cyber-bullying and screen addiction, I can still appreciate how powerful our current bandwidth and evolving streaming capabilities can be as a force for good. And if all you've done online lately is watch films, box sets, play games or, most likely, work, I'd urge you to checkout some of the lesser-known but equally compelling cultural offerings too.

Or, if I'm patronising the hell out of you, let's just say we should try to look on the bright side and be glad for everything we've still got available during the lockdown. If this nightmare had kicked off when my career did, I can tell you we'd be feeling far more socially isolated than we do now.

Thanks again to Mike for sparking a trip down memory lane and big shout-outs to my wife, Rachel, Alexandra Legg, the stellar ex-Telewest Broadband crew (half of them now running BT), the outstanding team that launched Virgin Media, including Itch and House PR, plus of course Ant Moore and all the other Consol' superstars from back in the day (you know who you are).