Test.org.uk – essays about culture in the age of digital attention

Hello. Thanks for finding this blog and for your interest in my writing. I’m Matt Locke, I started this blog back in 2003. It’s been a place where I write about digital technologies and how they are changing the way we find, share and engage with culture. At the moment I’m researching the history of how we measure attention, from the measurement of applause in 19th century music hall and opera, through broadcasting and the rise of mass media in the 20th century, to the digital networks of the 21st century. If it starts to make sense as an argument, I might turn it into a book.

My background

I’m currently Director of Storythings, a company set up to explore storytelling across platforms, genres and contexts. You can find out more about Storythings at our website. I also set up and run The Story Conference in my spare time, an entirely selfish event which fortunately lots of other people seemed to enjoy.

Before this, I was Acting Head of Crossplatform at Channel 4, responsible for building engaging and innovative online projects around the channel’s key brands, including Big Brother, Skins, Misfits and Embarrassing Bodies. Before that, I was Commissioning Editor for Channel 4 Education, working with the Education team to commission online services that deliver informal learning in innovative and exciting ways to teenage audiences. C4 Education projects won numerous awards, including a BAFTA, BIMA and Flash Forward award for Bow Street Runner, a BAFTA nomination for Yeardot and  an EMMY for Battlefront and two SXSW awards for Smokescreen and 1066

Before Channel 4, I was Head of Innovation for BBC New Media & Technology, responsible for developing and running research programmes within the BBC and with external partners, including developing academic and industry partnerships, and developing open innovation initiatives like http://backstage.bbc.co.uk and http://open.bbc.co.uk/labs/.

Speaking and Writing

I regularly speak at events around the globe, talking about digital culture, how this is affecting audiences and business models, and giving practical examples from the work I’ve done at Storythings and at Channel 4 & The BBC. If you’d like me to speak at your event, you can contact me through Personally Speaking. If you’d like to commission me to write for your publication, there are various ways you can get in touch with me here. You can see some of my past and upcoming speaking events on my Lanyrd profile.