Weave - Tipping towards Connection

6/15-6/16 - The Nestival: A Spring Fed Community Garden Fundraiser

Welcome to the Weekly Weave!

Woven Web is a community rooted in Boulder Colorado and reaching beyond, with a deeply held vision for a more connected world. We seek to find greater harmony between technology, society, and nature through facilitating communication and understanding and developing systems for connection.

In this Weave

• Tipping Towards Connection

• Coming Up in Community

Tipping Towards Connection

In "The Tipping Point", Malcolm Gladwell explores social epidemics, or what enables the popularity and spread of ideas, trends. Specifically, he argues that there are certain factors that contribute to a "tipping point", in which a certain idea becomes widely accepted. While this book was published in 2000, it gained fresh context in the wake of the covid pandemic, in which this idea of an "epidemic" became a lot more tangible and real for most people in this world. While Gladwell primarily uses examples such as shoes, video games, tv shows, songs, diseases and crimes, the findings are seemingly relevant to any social phenomenon, including one that is of core interest to us at Woven Web, the spread of a new paradigm, a more connected culture and worldview. He describes 3 core ideas that are relevant for reaching a tipping point.

The Law of the Few states that a small group of people, that he describes as "connectors", "mavens", and "salesmen", have a disproportionate influence on the spread of ideas. Connectors have wide networks that enable them to spread new ideas across diverse social circles. Mavens are knowledgeable individuals who accumulate information and share it with others, playing a crucial role in educating the public. Salespeople are persuasive individuals who can convince others to adopt new ideas. In supporting the emergence of a new paradigm, it's crucial that we incorporate key influencers; people who are deeply knowledge about living systems and a more connected world, people who are able to make a compelling case for why it's beneficial to incorporate this worldview into our lives and our society, and people who are well connected that can help support this worldview reaching a more diverse network. Who do you know that fits these roles well? What ways do you fit one or multiple of these yourself?

The Stickiness Factor demonstrates that messages need to be memorable and impactful so that they stick in people's minds. If a more connected culture is going to stick, we have to understand how to communicate it in a way that is simple and clear, that speaks directly to people's emotions, and that is easily repeatable so that people can better retain it and transmit it. Part of the intention for choosing the name "Woven Web" is in the stickiness appeal; "Connected culture" also speaks well to this and both use alliteration which helps with stickiness. What comes up for you when you think of sticky messages that move us towards greater connection. Do you have good examples? Do you have any ideas for messaging that might support with this?

The Power of Context refers to the idea that the environment and circumstances in which an idea is introduced can greatly influence its spread. It's essential that we develop communities and spaces that encourage and facilitate connectedness and collaboration. It's also vital that we look at our current context and identify where a more connected culture is already being demonstrated and work to highlight and emphasize that. This is relevant to the work we're doing in Boulder of building relationships with other organizations who are supporting the movement towards a more connected world and helping to highlight the good work they're already doing. What do you see that is unique about our current context that can enable the spread of a more connected culture? What ways might we participate in the changing of our context to support greater connection?

If we want to tip the scales towards connection in this world, we have to start by tipping the scales in our own lives and our communities. It's vital that we have an effective model for change such as the one Gladwell is articulating in The Tipping Point. And as this model demonstrates, we can be very effective if we craft a clear message that can deeply resonate with people, craft and participate in novel contexts where these ideas can effectively spread, and identify and incorporate key influencers who are able to share this message in a way that is informed, persuasive, and far-reaching.

Coming Up in Community

Spotlight: This weekend (6/15-6/16), our friends at The Hawks Nest are hosting The Nestival: A Spring Fed Community Garden Fundrasier. Events like this are part of what make Boulder such a unique context for a more connected culture to take root. Good people living together, working with the land, and including a wider community in what they’re doing.

More events:

• Wed 6/12 530-9pm @ Pearl Street - Bands on the Bricks

• Fri 6/14 5pm - Art Night Out in Lafayette

• 6/14-6/17 - Freedom’s Path - Juneteenth Celebration

• Sat 6/15 12-3pm @ Community Cycles - Bike Theft Awareness Expo

• Sat 6/15 2-4pm - Green Home Tour in South Boulder

• Sat 6/15 4-530pm @ The Dairy - Law Enforcement Leaders Read “Women of Resolution”

• 6/15 & 6/16 10am-12pm @ Chautauqua - Arts in the Open present “Alice in Wonderland”

• Sun 6/16 1-7pm @ Chautauqua - Flatiron Sounds Music Festival

• 6/17-6/19 7-830pm @ Dharma Gardens - Awakening to Self: Past, Present, Future

• Wed 6/19 6-11pm @ Roots Music Project - Juneteenth Celebration

Thanks for tuning in. Reply to this email and let us know what you’re thinking and how you’d like to engage with community. And forward this email to someone who you’d like to participate more in community with!

See you in the web,

~ aaron gabriel & woven web