It is a classic Third Wave creation and is now considered to be the most important tech event in the world.
“Davos for geeks” is one description and it seems apt.
I think that it is fitting that the Web Summit is an Irish creation.
Ireland and the Irish were very much a victim of Second Wave civilisation that was pioneered on the neighbouring island.
We were plundered for resources, but most of all people.
The European coalfield didn’t much fancy a trip across the water much.
Therefore the fossil fuel that powered the industrial revolution was to be found under the earth in Britain in huge quantities.
The late Alvin Toffler said that Third Wave civilization would be built on different foundations.
Most of all would be knowledge-based.
That gives us a natural advantage as we Irish are quite good at thinking and creating.
Consequently, the Irish economy over the last couple of decades has excelled in IT and pharmaceuticals.
Our greatest resource is our people and three of them, Paddy Cosgrave, David Kelly and Daire Hickey, got together to create the Web Summit a decade ago.
Now they’ve assembled a team of bright young folk from everywhere in the global village.
This site and the device that you are reading this content on is all part of the Third Wave revolution.
Moreover, like all such disruptions is no respecter of past conventions or reputations.
One of the things that Toffler predicted would happen was the creation of a “de-massified media”.
When I first read that term as an undergraduate in the early 1980s it seemed an impossible dream.
He also said that the centre of the new age would be the “Electronic Cottage”.
That idea captured my imagination.
Usually, these words blink to life on an Irish hillside and not in an airport terminal like today.
This year in Lisbon the Web Summit had 70,000 attendees.
Any media organisation wishing to adequately cover this event would need a team of journalists to do it justice.
Tuesday was sports day and I was in the front row to watch Ronaldinho do keepy-uppy in order to satisfy a training app and listen to how Sevilla Fútbol Club is using cutting edge data analysis to rear quality players.
Yesterday I heard Bruce Stein, CEO and co-founder of Axiomatic.
He explained the mind-boggling numbers behind this global online phenomena.
“Esports prize money is higher than in any sport”.
It is Third Wave in par excellence.
Like everyone else at the Web Summit, my smartphone was an indispensable tool.
The remote control of my life.
It allowed me to book accommodation, navigate the sprawling Web Summit site, find restaurants and hail taxis.
That also means that nothing I did here was truly private.
At the opening ceremony, Ed Snowden was beamed live into the main arena to take part in a Q & A about the dangers of a surveillance society.
Although the American whistleblower thought that the European Union’s GDPR was well-meaning, he thought it was too late along the process.
In his opinion, it wasn’t the protection of data that was the issue rather the mass COLLECTION of it.
Snowden said that he himself was proof that data, no matter how well it was guarded would always leak.
Later in the week, I was able to put that exact point to European Commissioner Věra Jourová in a presser.
I doubt that Ed Snowden would have been satisfied with her answer, I certainly wasn’t.
There is still much to do in this area and the powerful must be held to account.
All revolutions that I’ve studied have had major unintended consequences.
What is undeniable about this one is that the changes are irreversible and, indeed, they’re probably only getting underway.
This old digital immigrant will make the journey again this time next year to Lisboa.
One hugely appreciated by-product would appear to be that every time in I sit in O`Gilins Irish Pub in Rua dos Remolares wearing this bad Bhoy Celtic win a major victory.
Cup final versus Aberdeen in 2017, last year against RB Leipzig at Parkhead and last night in Rome.
Obrigado Lisboa, it is always emotional.
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It is strange to many of us over here (not of a Benfica standpoint) that the Portuguese hacker Rui Pinto is being held due to football revelations … he has actually helped the Spanish Tax authorities in reclaiming millions from the likes of Messi Ronaldo and Mourinho, but Edward Snowden was “allowed” to appear. Rui Pinto is if you don´t know the hacker between “Football Leaks” and many countries are wanting to cooperate with him due to revelations that he has found in France, Spain etc … But unfortunately he found dirt on the establishment club so has been imprisoned.
Glad you enjoyed Lisbon .. Web summit is definiyely growing every year … you think it will stay in Lisbon or move stateside for example in the future ?
The WebSummit has a ten year deal with the Lisbon authorities.
Phil, excellent and interesting article. Superb finish to it.
Completely off topic.
“NHS sell-off is pure Loch Ness Monster territory.”
THE BASTART’S DISSIN NESSIE!!!!
Just realized I didn’t give the source of the quote. Boris Johnson, aka, The Arsehole.
Can’t believe how negative the English commentator was towards Celtic on BT Sports’ coverage of the Lazio match
last night. At the final whistle his first words were about how the Celtic players couldn’t believe it and then how Lennon couldn’t believe it. The fact that they scored in the 94th minute might have indicated just how much they believed in themselves highlighting the fact that this team never gives up.
He mentioned Lazio’s Immobile non-stop which made me wonder if he fancied him or he had just learned how to say it properly and was demonstrating his command of the language.
It reminded me of the old W C Fields’ comedy “The Pharmacist” where his daughter is on the phone and mentions her new boyfriend’s name, “Cuthbert” in every sentence and driving him mad.
Sutton’s hysteria when Ntcham scored evened things out to some extent.