Former Vice President, Al Gore speaks at CTIA in April of 2009. Photo taken with a Blackberry Curve.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nOur industry was relatively stable compared to most of the economy at that time. If you lost your job in 2009 and found yourself sitting at the kitchen table trying to decide which bills to pay, you always paid your phone bill before your mortgage. You couldn\u2019t find a job without a phone and the banks were easier to negotiate with than a cellular service provider.<\/p>\n
Recurring service revenue and soon-to-boom smartphones sales weren\u2019t the only part of our industry that rose during the economic downturn. The LTE build out began, and that kept many people in the wireless infrastructure industry employed while many friends and neighbors in other industries were struggling to make ends meet.<\/p>\n
But bigger than our ability to endure through a struggling economy, Gore noted that information would be the dominant strategic resource throughout the 21st century. We are only sixteen years into this century but he appears to be right so far about information and how we communicate. And this leads me to the second of two things he spoke about that often causes me to reflect.<\/p>\n
The impact of wireless on politics<\/h3>\n When Vice President Gore spoke at CTIA in 2009 he compared the wireless handset at that time to the advent of the printing press and how information could be widely distributed to everyone. But, he said, the mobile phone will take it much further. The mobile phone would give a voice to the general population.<\/p>\n
As I recall, he stated that prior to television, politicians had to create a local presence and go door-to-door to make speeches and meet voters. This allowed voters to speak with them directly and to influence decision making. But in the era of televised politics, communication became somewhat one-directional. Politicians would speak to a camera and buy advertising to influence voters who basically sat at home and listened. This lead many voters to become a bit lazy and less engaged.<\/p>\n
Gore noted that the mobile phone would change that. It would return the power to the voters because they would have great ability to choose the source of their news and would be able to comment on what they would hear. The phone would always be within reach and the internet would allow each person to offer their thoughts and opinions to the entire world. Since that time, the explosion of various forms news and blogs as well as social media have changed our political landscape.<\/p>\n
President Obama was the first candidate to use social media as a means to distribute his campaign message. And, regardless of one\u2019s opinion of Donald Trump, there is no denying that he won the GOP primary with very little advertising and a whole lot of tweets. I would argue that the entire Trump phenomenon would not have even occurred if it weren\u2019t for the way communication has changed over the last several years.<\/p>\n
Entire political movements have quickly ignited and spread through social media \u2013 Occupy Wall Street, the Arab Spring and Black Lives Matter are perfect examples.<\/p>\n
Regardless of who wins in November, future candidates will view and engage voters differently. Social Media flowing in both directions will be a major part of future elections.<\/p>\n
Conclusion – Gore Was Right!<\/h3>\n As noted previously, I was not able to find a complete video or copy of the text of Gore\u2019s speech. But I did stumble across a Liveblog by a guy named Vikram who apparently was also in attendance that day. He notes that Gore stated that when \u201che and Bill (Clinton) took office there were only 50 websites\u201d. That was in January of 1993.<\/p>\n
Resisting the obvious opportunity to drop a joke about who \u201cinvented the internet\u201d I\u2019ll just give Vice President Gore his due. I walked into that 4,000 seat auditorium that day with an expectation of hearing a lifetime politician make a politically oriented speech about the \u201chope and change\u201d that had just occurred three months earlier. Instead, I heard an excellent speech on the impact our industry will have on the future. I left feeling quite inspired and motivated, especially considering the economic environment at that time.<\/p>\n
As I do each year, I\u2019ll return to Las Vegas for the 2016 CTIA Super Mobility show at the Sands Expo September 7-9. This year\u2019s headline making keynote speaker will be Mark Cuban<\/a>; the businessman, investor, owner of the Dallas Mavericks and star of Shark Tank. We\u2019ll see if he, too, has any bold predictions that inspire my thinking for the next seven years.<\/p>\nSee you in Las Vegas!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Former Vice President Al Gore speaks at CTIA in April, 2009.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":22652,"template":"","acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Al Gore Was Right! - MD7<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n\t \n