Burst Your Filter Bubbles at SXSW 2017
The Forrest Four-Cast: December 6, 2016
The importance of considering ideas and concepts outside of your comfort zone is one of the big lessons from November 8. With so many different things to do and to explore, SXSW provides a great venue for this intellectual exercise. Ten ways that March Magic in Austin helps you burst your filter bubble are as follows:
- If you think that AI and increased automation is driving our dystopian future, then attend John Hagel’s “Robots Can Restore Our Humanity” solo presentation on Saturday, March 11.
- If you think that the United States is the only country fostering massive innovation, then attend one of our internationally focused sessions in the Startup Village or the Tech Industry tracks.
- If you think that tech people don’t care about the greater good, then attend the soul-enriching SXSW Community Service Awards ceremony on Monday evening, March 13.
- If you think that bricks and mortar is dead, then visit the bustling SXSW Trade Show (which runs from Sunday, March 12 through Wednesday, March 15 on the first floor of the Austin Convention Center).
- If you think that the best way to absorb information is in 140 character nuggets, then listen to standout authors talking about their new releases at one of the 20+ Book Readings.
- If you think that entrepreneurism isn’t an exciting spectator sport, then watch top startups from around the world strut their stuff at the two-day SXSW Accelerator Pitch Event.
- If you think that innovators from the Far East aren’t making a world-class electric car to compete with Tesla, then catch Padmasree Warrior’s presentation about NextEV and their new NIO brand of vehicles.
- If you think that your career skills don’t translate into today’s high-tech workforce, then spend a few hours walking the SXSW Job Market (scheduled March 11–12 at the Austin Convention Center).
- If you think that tech-related content ends March 14, then browse the 2017 schedule—the “Brands & Marketing,” “Intelligent Future,” “Journalism” and “Tech Industry” tracks all extend through March 16.
- If you think that you can’t discover, mix and mingle with all kinds of different industries at SXSW, then learn about the new 2017 badge functionality via this short video.
Finally, if you think that saving $200 on walkup registration fees is a good thing, then be sure to pay your fees before the next deadline of Friday, January 13. Watch the SXSW website for more updates on the 2017 event — or simply subscribe to one of our several newsletters to get all this information delivered straight to your inbox.
Hugh Forrest tries to write four paragraphs per day on Medium. These posts generally cover technology-related trends. When not attempting to wordsmith, he serves as Chief Programming Officer at SXSW in Austin.
