Re: UKNM: The Big Retailers - was Toys R Us

[Nabil Shabka]

Lee, Sajid, Steve, all those interested,


Must say, it's been an interesting week or so listening to this

'banter' and I agree with Lee, it is important and relative. We don't

know where it's going but we're all helping it get there, and quick.  We

don't know what little event or action could trigger a sequence of much

wider proportions, but we're all dreaming up and implementing ideas by

the van load.  I suppose it highlights why this whole thing's so damned

exciting.  


We, all of us, are participants in this communications revolution. Each

persons impact may go relatively unnoticed or be of immense

significance, we don't know yet but hey, least we're in the game. This

'revolution' thing, the Internet as we so fondly refer to it, is about

new ideas............some good, some bad, some good that fail, some bad

that succeed. It's unstoppable and it's being created as we type.  What

each of us does and our views regarding this evolution do have an

impact, it's just the consequences that are unknown.  It is a rare and

fortunate event to happen to be in the right place at the right time and

be a participant.  We all have the chance to put 'our mark' on this

'revolution.  I'm sure we all agree, that's one of the things that makes

this business so riveting.


Like with everything, there'll be some winners and some losers, the

question is how many and who.  Who's vision or, deviation thereof, shall

prevail?  I reckon we should have a clearer picture by the next

millenium, bugs

withstanding.


Nabil


Lee Bryant wrote:

> 

> Sajid,

> 

> What a shock to see such analysis on a New Media Marketing list: I bet that went down like a lead balloon on most desktops !

> 

> Whilst some people may feel this is not relevant to an NMM list, I think it is important that we take our heads out of or arses now and again to look around at the social impact of the "revolution" (!?) we are driving forward. On a simple level, this may mean having an awareness of the visual language we use to build our web sites/kiosks/WebTV progs, etc., and of how accessible this language is to most people (not just most current net users). On a wider level, we sometimes need to ask questions about how what we are building will be used in the future (pace : dynamite, nuclear fission, etc.).

> 

> There is a lot of historical evidence to suggest that far from liberating mankind from the limitations of time and distance, the Internet may actually become yet another technological development which will reinforce the dominant position of the minority of rich countries, and ensure their continued exploitation of the rest of the world -- just as the Industrial Revolution helped produce colonialsm and slavery.

> 

> I'm not trying to get on a political high horse or something, but I do commend you for even raising these issues in such a forum.

> 

> At 03:43 08/02/99 -0800, Sajid wrote:

> 

> >*YOU* are very welcome to fret about your impotence, Steve. *I* for

> >one absolutely stubbornly refuse to acknowledge my inability - whether

> >as an individual or within a group - to make any kind of difference.

> >

> >I know we now live in the era of The Consensus where trade is dictated

> >by the WTO, transnationals and anybody but the people but it is

> >possible to not bury one's head in the sand merely because one does

> >not 'know how'.

> >

> >Steve, I suggest you get your history books out and look up what the

> >Chartists & Suffragettes achieved and then reflect on how different

> >your life would be if they had not triumphed. If this has woken you

> >out of your Blairite ennui, then I suggest you take the time to find

> >out how people all over the world - especially in developing countries

> >- do not share your complacency.

> >

> >We live in a country where the Prime Minister does not feel that the

> >safety of Genetically Modified food is an appropriate topic of

> >discussion between two party leaders on the floor of the House. This

> >demonstrates how beholden we are now to the market.

> >

> >The consequences of social exclusion as a result of the Internet

> >merely scratch the surface. To not address them at all is

> >irresponsible at best and downright malicious at worst.

> 

>

Lee Bryant (leetmg [dot] co [dot] uk)

> Creative Director

> TMG HYPERMEDIA

> ---------------------------------------------------------

> http://www.tmg.co.uk

> ---------------------------------------------------------

> Tel : +44-(0)171-207-2050, Fax : 207-2049

> ---------------------------------------------------------

> 

-- 

Nabil Shabka

BiblioTech

631-633 Fulham Road

London,  SW6 5UQ

UK


http://www.bibliotech.co.uk


Tel:  44-171-460 4646

Fax:  44-171-736 6066 

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