Are you at TED?
The world’s most inspiring conference begins this week, and all over the blogosphere people are talking about it. Somehow it seems as if everyone is attending when in fact fewer than 1500 people have been accepted for attendance.
The TED conference has grown in popularity over recent years with the advancement of new media technologies. What was once seen by few, and passed along by word of mouth is now broadcast around the world with the help of new media.
Yet, even with the attempt to bring inspiration to more than the individuals in a lecture hall, I can’t help but see TED as elitist. First, the $6000 price tag makes it nearly impossible for the average person to attend. Even with scholarships, the reduced rate of $2000 is more than most can afford. This financial barrier insures that only the elite can take part. There seems to be an assumption that the most inspiring ideas come from those in the higher eschelons of society. Sure, those people can afford “better” educations, have good jobs, and lifestyles that allow them to innovate. But, there is amazing work being done by people who make no money. Couldn’t those financially less fortunate benefit from the amazing ideas at TED? Couldn’t they have something to offer?
I can only imagine what could happen if the people at the TED conference were to rub shoulders with the “riff-raff” instead of the “thinkers”. But, if that were the conference, it wouldn’t be TED. Would the speakers come? Would the people want to be there?
That said, the talks at TED are inspiring. People are doing amazing work of which everyone shold be aware. I will be watching from my office chair.
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That’s where the BIL conference comes in… 😀
http://bilconference.com/
I’m not at TED but the lab I work for sent two grad students, a collaborator and a robotic Einstein head. But I don’t know if presenters need to pay the entry fee or not.
One possible ‘solution’ (if it’s really even a problem) would be to start a second conference either at the same time or just before or after TED at a nearby location. Same themes, but more inclusive (i.e. smaller price tag).
I, personally, have never seen much benefit from attending the few conferences I’ve been to. At least no benefit that can’t be gotten from watching the videos after the fact. Then again I’m pretty anti-social so the whole networking/shmoozing thing doesn’t do much for me.
Kudos for having the courage to say what many of us think, about the TED talks being elitist.
The best thing about TED is, I CAN be (sort of) a part of it, by watching the video and then discussing it on blogs, twitter etc. OK, it’s not the same as being there, but still….
BTW, what happened to Potential Energy? I was really enjoying it – run out of topics? or time? 🙂 (and thanks for the ones you DID do!)
I had no idea it was such an expensive conference.
I guess this explains why they advertise luxury cars at the end of so many TED videos.
I have to wonder how much of a future these types of conferences have. I’m sure they’ll always happen, and I’m sure they’ll continue to draw respect/admiration/scorn/ire, but how much relevance are they going to have with new media like Facebook and Twitter making it so easy for virtual conferences to spring up with no price tag? They even spill into the real world via tweetups and similar real world meetings.
Hopefully soon it’ll start to sink in that you don’t have to pay $6,000 to exchange ideas with inspiring people.
TED is one of the few conferences that I would actually really enjoy attending… but I’m one of peasants 🙂 Nice to have it on video at least.
What are they using all that money for?
Is it for bandwidth? Are they paying the talkers?
Let them pay as long as TED keeps providing hi-res videos for download. I couldn’t care less for who is in the audience and I wouldn’t attend if it was free anyway…
Well said. The whole thing looks just a bit over the top. There is something very Tony Robbins about this- expensive and flashy but what do you really get out of it in the end?
What a surprise to see others that see TED has a bit of a elitist feel to it. I was not aware of the price tag but just looking at the topics I am turned off by what appears to be group of leftist, smarter than thou so called futurist.
Topics such as :
“Virginia Postrel on glamour”
“James Burchfield plays (invisible) turntables”
“Ory Okolloh on becoming an activist”
“Steven Levitt on child carseats”
Do not compel me to watch the videos much less pay $6000 to rub shoulders with what TED calls “the world’s most fascinating thinkers and doers…”.