Wired wrote about it, but even before that it was in our hearts and on our minds. If trade-secrets ruled the day in the 20th century - transparency will rule the day in the 21st. The words competition and secrecy will be exchanged with collaboration and openness. Companies that fail to see this will find it harder and harder to gain the devotion of us, the “e” generation.

The “e” means we are empowered. As consumers, as professionals, as social networkers, as voters, and as evangelists. Believe me, you want us on your side. What we lack in numbers we make up for in determination and knowledge. Leveraging the internet to make real changes is second nature - and it will happen. We can’t be bought or sold by a television network - we really aren’t into TV, it’s too - linear, too “photoshopped,” or too fake. Our real news media has become satirical and our satirical news media has become real, and we recognize that.

We are fearless, bold, and fresh. Yes, we are a top heavy country consisting of many baby boomers who failed to topple the old guard - but that won’t stop us, you see, for we have the internet. Whereas America has been the melting pot for different cultures and race, the internet is the melting pot for ideas - and the best always come bubbling to the top.

I have been fearful of my generation being complacent to all of this - do we really care about our country and the world surrounding us?

Last night I was at a dinner full of the influencers - people who are striving for social change not only with their words, but their actions. They make a strong case that we do care - that we are empowered, and that we do live up to the hype. I think it’s only a matter of time before we wake up and turn the old guard on its head.

Our ideas are strong and our hearts are pure - we get the new world and we have embraced it. We have big corporations lobbying Washington D.C. to get their way - followed by the same corporations limiting which candidates the American public see (and in what light) on their broadcasting networks. This is an example of the competition, deceit, and old guard mentality which is taking our country down a path of destruction. If you’re getting your news from a TV, consider it skewed - not one major news network has a clean reputation. They all do it.

I watched Oprah introduce Barack Obama in Iowa and she said it best:

“I’m not here to tell you what to think, I’m here to tell you to think”

What we need is transparency and open doors. I’m a fan of Barack mainly in part because he is a fan of the transparency ideal. Transparency is something we all need to get behind.

For now, I have placed an Obama ‘08 badge on my site for a candidate that stands for so much, but most importantly acts presidential. Grab the code, do the same.
<a href=”http://www.barackobama.com/index.php”><img src=”http://www.eleven3.com/wp-content/themes/eleven3/images/cause_obama.jpg” alt=”Vote Obama ‘08″ style=”margin-right: 10px;”></a>

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