This past Wednesday, April 19, General Assembly and Surthrive held the Tech + Culture panel event. This was a collaboration of various local organizations, intellectual minds, and startups that are passionate about the future through the mediums of tech and culture. Creatives in the tech industry like Joey Digital and Diamonde Williamson were center stage as they took a look at the problems and opportunities that we have now. More importantly, however, these leaders asked the big important questions that help uncover solutions and nurture Atlanta’s growing tech industry. The event was free with RSVP and the mood of the room was excited and eager. This was certainly a crowd full of young eager minds that were ready to join a massive movement or simply dive deeper into it. All the while, free beer was available on tap for everyone to enjoy. Who could complain about that?
In today’s world there are many different elements driving us forward to innovate and create, but two stand out to work in harmony during this digital age. Technology and culture. It’s no surprise to anyone when people bring up the idea of technology and how it is quickly shaping the world we see. There’s no denying that the future is almost a reality for the human race. On the other hand, there is culture, a single term that may seem vague in definition but has the ability to so clearly define an entire region.
The overarching theme of the night was looking at both tech and culture coming together to work symbiotically. The seven panelists came from diverse backgrounds such as music, television, film, marketing, fashion, and computer science. Each of the speakers brought a new element of discussion and it really came to focus on Atlanta, and how it is affected or influences.
A majority of the discussion led into the ideas of how we are influenced as creators by the city we live in and what it has to offer. Atlanta is definitely on the rise with new businesses, startups, and film productions quickly sprouting up everywhere. The businesses here are what they are because of Atlanta. This can be said for every other city out there like New York and LA. These two cities were mentioned quite a few times in the discussion because so far they have set the standard. Both cities are basically the model that many others follow, but it shouldn’t always be that way. The panel was supportive of the idea that we as locals should root for the homegrown brands. Get the name popular and out in the world to establish Atlanta as one of the next great hubs.
It doesn’t matter what kind of platform or brand that you are coming from. It just matters that you see the goals you want to achieve and make the necessary plans to make it happen. Take pride in the city we live in and boast its name. Local homegrown brands and business are what creates a better ecosystem of business in the city to foster growth. There is no sign of Atlanta slowing down in this time, so act now. It all begins with creating change on a personal level. For example, if a startup does well in town, it should look into going further and taking the next step to expand. Cover more ground locally before going to other areas and show Atlanta as the source. It’s all about creating ties with the city and collaborating.
It’s an uplifting and positive feeling to sit in a room of intellectual minds and see how the future of our city is discussed. There are definitely great projects in motion, and Atlanta will soon have people looking up to it.
If you are interested in getting involved with other events like this one, click here to get taken to General Assembly’s website to read and learn more. General Assembly organizes more events like this often so don’t miss out!
