Conversation Agent - Valeria Maltoni

A story about screens

How we've come to embrace factoids in place of knowledge “Fahrenheit 451” came out in 1966. François Truffaut directed the British dystopian science fiction film—his only not in French language and first in color. Based on the 1953 novel of the same name by Ray Bradbury, it showcased Truffaut’s love of books. The film, which depicts a controlled society in an oppressive future, was a commercial failure. In this alt-future, the job of firefighters is to track down books and burn them. I remember feeling repulsed by the premise when I watched it. Anyone who’s read the book or watched... Read more →

Why we need cinema

Stories continue to ignite our imagination. I used to love going to the movies. From the black and w... Read more →

Public Truths, Private Lies

How we cannot help our nature―but we can improve our culture. A man in the semi-distance looks inside the apartment across and the yard below. From the activities taking place in view, he develops a narrative piecing together body language and action clues. Third party observational narrative feels real to the moviegoer who becomes immersed in the sequence of events ‘as seen or described’ by someone else. Hitchcock’s 1954 Rear Window was way ahead in describing the view behind a lens. We’ve always been fascinated by the lives of others. Social media and search engines took advantage of the social... Read more →

Details are the Hallmark of a Story you can Relate to

But they work only when you nail the larger narrative. Lynda LaPlante Before he could start enjoying his job, Jack Warr had to find his place in the world. The interaction between a quest to reconnect with his identity and the mounting urgency of the crisis in a new case depend on each other to make the story work in Lynda LaPlante’s latest crime series. LaPlante turned to writing after a successful acting career. You may know her name for her work on Prime Suspect. The gap between the story you tell and your body language is what gives you... Read more →

Making Headlines with the Wrong Story

Instead of investigating the funneling of Euroscepticism into Brexit and the reasons why Britain, once a land of ambitious colonizers, is descending into a dramatic spiral, The Economist decides to make fun of Italy. Perhaps cucumber on pizza (must be a British thing) can paper over the Government's embarrassment for the ridiculous twists and turns of the last few days. But the resignation of a Prime Minister is an opportunity for introspection. Ridicule may be entertaining, but it's rarely productive. According to the weekly report, Britaly is “a country of political instability, low growth and subordination to the markets.” The... Read more →

How Disinformation Became Part of the Current Narrative

Genuine two-way communication is not just dissemination. Information doesn't equal indoctrination. There's a line between getting attention and agitprop. Providing proof or evidence is not the same as the truth. Truth is a conclusion the other person gets to make. These were some of the principles I discussed in a conversation at Web 2.0 On November 19, 2009. You can see the visuals I used at the link. I cautioned communication professionals to exercise some self-awareness: Is what I'm saying true? Have I presented my client or product in a fair manner? Am I still listening? Have I made my... Read more →

Is the Internet a Significant Break from the Past?

And if so, how should we think about what we do with it? Innovation is not a single thing, a eureka (Greek for I have found) moment. There are many factors that go into taking a discovery to making an impact. Bringing something new to the world means standing on the shoulders of giants across generations and working with many people. Rather, innovation is a process where you match the right kinds of questions and the right strategies or resolve. But we should not confuse the objectives with the issues we're actually ready to tackle. As it often happens when... Read more →

What if Ordinary People had Actual Power in Social Media Platform Decisions?

If it were up to me — and many other people who love using Twitter to find ideas — Twitter lists would have been a much better product. Better than hashtags, Twitter lists are a simple way to signal interest and focus. The image above in just a small snapshot of the lists other people put me on. List inclusion depends on the topics and themes you write about and the content you share. I use lists to group topics, industries, and interests to accelerate my research. When Twitter lists first came out, I described them as a new mainstream... Read more →

Does the World Need New Storytelling?

“If all you offer is money, all you get are mercenaries,” says Frederik Gieschen. Incentives shape behavior. Wall Street may indeed need new storytelling.# Michael Lewis says the system is stale and needs a breath of new imagination. When a story gets stale, the business attached to it is stuck. Perhaps Wall Street's story is stale. But “the game of markets is as interesting, challenging, and alive as it has ever been.” The “work has become more challenging and interesting because the world is more complex and the game much more competitive.” Perhaps its the whole narrative that is stale.... Read more →

Design of Story, the Sensual Way

This photograph by Helmut Newton for Pirelli, the Italian group famous for its iconic and sensual calendars, never made it to a calendar. If the project had come to completion twenty-one years ago, there would be another prize out there for icon hunters to chase — the first, and only, Pirelli calendar made in Italy by Newton. Pirelli Italia asked Newton to envision the Calendar in the spring of 1985. The company didn't place any restrictions on his creativity, asking only that Pirelli the product appear in the shots. This was a new development, not just for the renowned photographer... Read more →