A few days ago, CMU Professor Randy Pausch passed away from a long battle with Pancreatic Cancer. Pausch intially thought that his legacy would be a program he created called Alice, which uses 3D tech to instruct kids. But I guess the fates had other plans for him, as when he was giving his “Last Lecture” in 2007, the lecture was recorded, spread across Youtube, and gained Pausch national fame, even to a point where a book was written based on his lecture.
There is something I’d like to discuss here about that lecture regarding Social Media. Someone submitted this to youtube, and it spread like wildfire. The question I want to ask, however, is Why did it spread? Was it the message of goodwill? Was it because of Pausch’s rep? Or was it something else entirely?
No matter the case, The Last Lecture is an example of the power of Social Media. Were it not for Youtube, this lecture might have been popular locally, and made it as far as a small article in the Los Angeles Times, if that. Instead, because we could see Pausch speak, and see firsthand the legendary lecture, it drew audiences that advertisers would sell their souls for…provided they actually had souls to sell.
Now Randy Pausch is at peace, but his legacy is a lot more then some stupid program. He left us with a Powerpoint presentation and lecture that inspired a country, even though it was meant for his children. Still, here are a few questions for those who think they can answer them:
- How did you first hear of Randy Pausch?
- How did you first see his Lecture?
- What did you think of it?
- How do you think it became so popular?
