Where Did I Just Leave My Girl?

My daughter is at an event called playlistlive.  I guess I should appropriately hashtag it - #playlistlive - there, that's better.  I had some idea of what event she was going to, though I didn't really get in to the details - it included friends she has made, people she admires, music, and a chance to meet new people who have built industries out of themselves.  A convention of sorts, a trade show, really, where the products are the people - who have expanded themselves into brands of all sorts, including music, comedy, and lifestyle.  About 200 of them.

Thousands of young people have descended upon this event, held at the World Center Marriott in Orlando, FL.  The last time I was at this facility was for a conference of over 5,000 people.  I'm pretty sure this event has it beat. 

They are everywhere.  In every nook and cranny of the hotel.  They range in age, for the most part,  from about 12 to 20-something and come in all shapes and colors and sizes.  Some have straggling parents, lumbering behind them, exhausted from day one, desperately seeking a place to sit.  Some are here with parents who are just as into the experience as they are, and it's a toss up on who wants to be here more.  Most are here unchaperoned, or at least, they're moving about the facility as such, searching equally for faces of internet fame and their virtual friends who many will meet in real life for the first time, or for some, one of the few times they get to physically interact.

Gaggles of them attract attention, deliberately, sometimes to fool others, or to become momentary celebrities.  They move in swarms, sometimes running in directions because the mass is doing so, not sure to whom they are running to, or necessarily why. 

I'm amazed at the wifi and internet infrastructure supporting this event.  This isn't your typical trade show.  This is the event that will put any i.t. to the test - more photos get uploaded per second than almost anywhere...ever, I'd bet.  As I'm typing this there are currently almost 90,000 posts using just one of their hashtags on Instagram.  And there are quite a few hashtags.  And plenty of media sites.  Livestreams, vlogging, it's all happening right here right now - and that's not including what's been actually planned for the event.

I've been kind of rolling my eyes at this whole experience as it approached, not really wrapping my head entirely about it conceptually.  My first impression was that was simply a fan hang out, people paying good money just to meet and greet with their favorite online celebrities.  And for a lot of the people here that's exactly what it is. 

But the more I read about it and into it, I'm almost regretting not buying myself a ticket.  This is the future of media and commerce in general.  I don't need to hug and take selfies with the You Tubers (such an awkward term, in my opinion, but I'm old, and they don't seem to have any issue with it so off we go).  But I would love to hear the inside scoop on how they've built their brands.  I would love to pick the brains of the start-ups and support businesses that have been birthed by the phenomenon - many of which are present here.  This is what's fueling the next generations.  And for the most part, they seem to be sending positive messages with their power.  Lots of love and unity and kindness and acceptance.  Hard to knock that factor.

They cross all sorts of demographic borders.  They have thrown away limitations, whether self-imposed, or physical ones - transcending time and space, literally, because of the internet.  We've raised kids for the last few decades telling them they can be anything they want to be, while silently gritting our teeth and biting our cheeks out of skepticism.  But this phenomenon, in a way, has proved us right.  They CAN make a living as a gamer, as a singer, as a make up artist, a comedian, a improviser, a chef...even simply as an idealist, sharing their hopes and dreams and encouraging others to do the same.  They can even do it just chewing on potato chips in a microphone (I'm not kidding.  Google ASMR - or just click the link - people are making six figures PLUS).  And I don't think one of them will tell you it was necessarily easy - it still takes investment of time and resources, and commitment to your craft and choices...but geez, hand me a jar of pickles and a mic and I just might be in.

I can't just shake my head and laugh anymore.  I did it for a while last night with another parent as we sat in the midst of the lobby, teenage hordes moving swiftly in front of us, across the marble floor, Starbucks pink drinks in hand, clear backpacks filled with merch in preparation for signatures at their meet and greets, colorful event bracelets glinting in the atrium lighting.  This is the business model of tomorrow.  These are the influencers.  Industry leaders, take heed.  I think there's a lot that can be applied to other business models, and I think these kids have a lot to teach.