Excuse me, is that a Blackberry in Your Corset? or Seeing History versus Retweeting It

I spent some time this weekend learning about the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, a.k.a. the Chicago World’s Fair. Until that point hadn’t I known very much about it – just that it was one of the biggies when it comes to historical events of that age.

But it turns out this event was incredible. Like the kind of thing I’d wish to be transported back to if, say, I came across an abandoned tardis or something. And not just because I have a crush on this part of history. But because it was such a watershed event. Just a summary of how happenin’ this 1893 shindig was:
life-size replicas of Egyptian structures
the first Ferris wheel
the first American exposure to bellydancing (it was known as – wait for it – the “hootchy-kootchy”)
Buffalo Bill Cody was rejected for exhibiting his Wild West show, but set up nearby and drew a crowd
Scott Joplin introduced ragtime music
hula dancing shined some light on Hawaii for one of the first times
Products that were introduced: Cracker Jack, Juicy Fruit, Quaker Oats, Cream of Wheat, Shredded Wheat, Aunt Jemima pancake mix, and the hamburger.
Frederick Douglass was Haiti’s delegate to the fair
buildings constructed for the fair are still part of Chicago today
John Phillip Sousa’s band played on the Midway every day

But a huge difference between now and then was that to attend the event was the only way to experience these incredible new inventions and architecture and gadgets and products. Today, though, ideas and creations are known even before they are produced. We’re reading tweets about them, watching videos of them, and hearing about how great they are from people who have access to them because they are celebrities, high-profile, or connected.

Although the explosion of social media and real-time information has transformed the way the world works for the better, there will always be a trade off. A part of me wants to go back to a time when having a ticket to an exhibit was really exclusive – one where there were no bit.ly links, no iPhone videos on Facebook, not even a TV crew there to dispatch the news of the latest and greatest thing.

But then again, if I did go back, I’d just want to blog about it.

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