Out of the Antiques Closet
Hobbyist collectors used to be a quiet bunch – hoarding Beanie Babies and Star Wars action figures; meeting at obscure conferences; exchanging trade secrets in online forums. But collectors today are doing more than accumulating stuff – they're finding ways to curate their collections for a global audience.
They're no longer just collectors, they're experience designers.
One of the most common activities people perform online is, you guessed it: the pursuit of hobbies. No surprises there for this collector, as the primary source for my pin-up habit is eBay, the site William Gibson refers to as “some sort of vast unconscious curatorial movement.”
But the web has done more than facilitate unconscious curation. Flickrs and YouTubes, in the hands of a collector-turned-curator, become consciously designed – public exhibitions of treasured collectibles more about experience than collection.
Overcrowded shelves of action figures become a ten-part video tour. A stash of old magazines becomes a wildly popular humor site. One man's personal archive becomes the go-to reference for pin-up collectors around the world.
Sharing a collection has always been a personal joy for hobbyists; today, thoughtful design of that experience can affect entire communities.
Brenda Janish is an information architect, founder of Stitch 'N Bitch Chicago, and a collector-turned-curator of vintage pin-up art. Brian Rea is an illustrator and designer, and the Art Director for The New York Times’ Op-Ed page. More information at brian-rea.com and altpick.com.
Remarks 4 total remarks were added before the post was closed.
Matthew McVickar
I think that Tumblelogs and social bookmarking sites like Del.icio.us are a manifestation of this "collector's spirit" — digital collections-in-progress that I think will become more and more valuable as the information overload continues to grow.
(Coudal's Museum of Online Museums is a great place to sift through this phenomenon, too.)
Brendan Cullen
don't forget pixel galleries of Star Wars action figures.
Coolest thing I've seen all week
justin Powell
nice insight brenda.
I think this outlines why there are several niche social networks popping up. additionally, as matthew pointed out, the information from their digital footprints becomes valuable. Not just for targeting advertising. But for designing experiences that echo the collectors persona.
Dinu Kuruppu
Nice post, and interesting point about social bookmarking sites.
I walk by the local flea market on Sundays to check out what they have there. The rest of the week I check out my RSS feeds and add interesting ones to delicious.
I also collect digital pictures, MP3s, and funny video clips. Up till I read this post though, I didn't think of myself as a collector.