LeWeb : Why digital hippies matter

Axelle Tessandier, Founder, Axl Agency

Being a digital hippies is a mindset. We are the first generation used to pervasive interconnectedness – and so we’re constantly exposed to ideas, news and emotions.

73% of Generation Y think that access to the internet changes the way they think about the world.

The overview effect is what astronauts get when looking at Earth from space. The political or religious divisions disappear, and they see the planet as one interconnected ecosystem. The internet is creating this effect for a whole generation. You can’t have empathy for the whole planet, but her generation think that the can – and should – have an impact on the world as a whole.

Are these feelings new? No, they are what drove things lime Woodstock – but the people then didn’t have a device in their pocket that allowed them to create a worldwide movement. The feelings are the same but the context is very, very different.

Oh, and Gen Y don’t trust the government – only around a quarter do. Gen Y are the children of the recession and endless crises. She quotes Darwin suggesting that those most likely to survive are those more responsive to change. Her generation are responsive to change, she suggests.

Don’t wait for a job – create it. Many digital revolution jobs will have to be made. This is a do-it-yourself culture. It’s about meaning, not profit. It’s about improving the lives of your users. Everything with a c is changing: corporations, communities, currencies… The life span of companies is reducing. You have to be fast, you have to be resilient, you have to change. The best companies stand for something and contribute to the world.

New leaders will be like artists not business leaders. The world is changing.