Title: 21 Years Since the First YouTube Video
Subtitle: On burgeoning friendships, the ground shifting faster than ever, and bridging where technology meets human creativity
Description:
Fifty-nine days until summer, and Matt’s pondering frequency—maybe three days a week instead of five. Let him know what you think. Last night he had dinner with David Kalinowski (author of The Sacrifice Paradox), a podcast guest who’s become a burgeoning friend. One of the great joys of podcasting: meeting people who become part of your life. After sharing trivia about the Church of England annulling Henry VIII’s marriage (1533), Natalie Wood showing up to accept Harvard’s worst performer citation (1966—bold move), and the first YouTube video being uploaded 21 years ago today (2005), he dives into what’s on his mind.
Twenty-one years. He can remember pre-YouTube like it was yesterday, yet he can also go long periods thinking YouTube always existed. It’s become integral. Maybe it’s like when TV first came out—but TV projected entertainment into your home, a one-way street. YouTube is semi-open source. Anyone with a little equipment can play, whereas television wasn’t like that. Reality has changed. And here’s the thing: imagine 21 years from now—how much will be different then. There’s no resting on your laurels, no “I got this, I figured things out, I’ve learned all I can learn.” Not if you want to play in the world, grow, have opportunity.
The one thing he knows for sure: there’s a lot he doesn’t know. He continues to marvel at creative things people are doing—some he wants to learn from, some he doesn’t. But knowing what’s out there is powerful. Everyone is touched by changes in technology. With The Bigger Stage, he’s trying to bridge where technology meets the best of human creativity—where’s the stage the human belongs, and what technology supports getting there, spreading the word, being most creative and most human. Finding that at any given moment is critical, with the understanding it’ll keep changing.
So triple down on learning new things. Doesn’t mean spending thousands on courses—there’s free information everywhere. For him it starts with curiosity: asking people what they’re doing, what they’re seeing, what they’re paying attention to. Often they’re noticing things he’s not, sometimes things he didn’t know existed. Keep learning, stay curious, keep building. The ground is shifting always, faster now. You can’t control it, so get on with making relationships, learning, leaving a legacy of curiosity, service, connection, love. That’s what it’s all about. New podcast art—officially the Backstage podcast now, behind the scenes of The Bigger Stage. Shout out to his sister Katie who helped inspire the name.
