I just saw the news that Dennis Hopper died. Prostate cancer at 74. Seems so young – especially these days.
As I dug a little deeper, looking for more news (all on Twitter, by the way), I ran across this trailer for Easy Rider, starring Hopper and Peter Fonda. I was a kid back in those days, but the film and its meaning, especially during the turbulence that characterized 1969, has never been lost on me.
This quote from the film was especially inspiring: “What you represent to them is freedom,” says Hopper, and Fonda replies “What the hell is wrong with freedom, man? That’s what it’s all about.”
It made me think of society today and the freedom that the Internet has afforded us. It’s a freedom that frightens many – probably because they don’t understand it, or because it represents change, which is usually unsettling. Those of us more comfortable in the online space don’t fear it and see the boundless opportunities. Opportunities for learning, growth, change, sharing – and a myriad of other things.
And so, I saw some similarities, between the lives we’re living now and the way things were back in 1969 – filled with change, opposing views, great shifts in the way people think, huge shifts in the way business is done.
I can’t wait to see how much things change in the next 5-10 years – how about you? Do you welcome that change — or dread it? I’d love to know.
Thank you, Dennis Hopper, for sharing your talent with the world. May you rest in peace.
Shelly Kramer is a Principal Analyst and Founding Partner at Futurum Research. A serial entrepreneur with a technology centric focus, she has worked alongside some of the world’s largest brands to embrace disruption and spur innovation, understand and address the realities of the connected customer, and help navigate the process of digital transformation. She brings 20 years’ experience as a brand strategist to her work at Futurum, and has deep experience helping global companies with marketing challenges, GTM strategies, messaging develoment, and driving strategy and digital transformation for B2B brands across multiple verticals. Shelly’s coverage areas include Collaboration/CX/SaaS, platforms, ESG, and Cybersecurity, as well as topics and trends related to the Future of Work, the transformation of the workplace and how people and technology are driving that transformation. A transplanted New Yorker, she has learned to love life in the Midwest, and has firsthand experience that some of the most innovative minds and most successful companies in the world also happen to live in “flyover country.”
