Coming into Davos always reminds me of those invisible fences used to keep their dogs straying off suburban properties. Some of the security measures to safeguard the arriving VIPs are indeed visible—mostly in the form of a security cordon outside the conference center and airport-style metal detectors at the main hotels—but much of it is hidden behind unseen barriers. The first time I came here, much was made of an anti-globalization protest that was supposed to draw in demonstrators from around Switzerland. Police dealt with it by shrewdly heading off most of the protesters at Landquart station, one of the main switchover points for the little red trains that come up into these mountains. The diminished numbers that did make it into the town put on a spirited show, but most people here had no idea that they were watching a sort of Potemkin protest, with many more activists kept one layer of security away.
This year, though, the World Economic Forum (WEF) organizers are opening Davos up to the masses. Well, kinda… The group has done a deal with YouTube to pose the “Davos Question”: What one thing do you think that countries, companies or individuals must do to make the world a better place in 2008? WEF requests that those interested submit a video posing their question, and promises that the Davos players will get right back to them.
The YouTube community seems to have responded with gusto. According to WEF official Matthias Lufkens, about 844,000 people watched the video before the Davos meeting had even begun (it starts officially on Wednesday, January 23, although what with the slew of pre-Davos events and invitations one could be forgiven for feeling that it’s been going on for months.) About 100 of them have submitted videos, says Lufkens. In keeping with the YouTube ethos, these range from the weird to the odd to the serious. The most watchable? Perhaps that dubious distinction goes to the Headcrab Zombie, whose video persona involves holding a flesh-colored sphere with dangling tentacles that obscure his face:
He, like many others, actually wants to ANSWER the Davos Question, rather than ask it. (“One thing we can do to make the world a better place is to think before we acAt,” rumbles the pink sphere. “If it benefits you, but not the rest of the world, don’t do it.”)
As for those who really do want to hear from the world leaders, Lufkens says they’ll get their wish: WEF plans to haul a bunch of CEOs to a special YouTube booth at the conference center so they can answer to their virtual constituents. “It’s not just a PR stunt,” says Lufkens. “It’s a new way to communicate.” These days, those protesters can travel broadband.
