1. Scene Hacking
Seb Paquet

2. About Seb Paquet
● Physics, Computer Science
● Thesis on social web &
knowledge sharing (2003)
● Research & teaching
● Startups: Socialtext,
Sceneverse
● Musician, localist,
convener, event designer,
facilitator
2

3. 1. New York Punk Music Scene
2. Standup comics
3. Chess players
4. The Impressionists (19th C.)
5. Coffee Geeks
6. Homebrew Computer Club (1975)
7. Makers
8. Internet startups
9. Open Source developers
Nine Examples of Scenes
3

4. ● Call Center Specialists
● Backyard chicken enthusiasts
● Stamp Collectors
● Elite 100m-dash runners
● Medieval Theology Scholars
● (nearly) Any corporation
Ceci n’est pas une scène
4

5. ● Group & Interpersonal Awareness
● Creativity at the core / Scenius
● Emulation / Status
● Rituals
● A contact surface
● Permeability
● Excitement - Fun, Passion, Pull
● Peripheral Participation
Every Scene Has
5

6. ● Friendships
● A low barrier to entry
● A way to make money
Scenes Often Feature
6

7. ● Group
● Field
● Professional Association
● Industry
● Movement
● Community
Neighboring concepts
that are not quite scenes
7

8. Scene Roles
Groupie
CREATOR
Charis
matic
Artist
Source
Enthusiast
Geek
Curator Critic
Connector Convener
Prophet
8

9. Exhibit A: Open Source Software
Groupie
CREATOR
Charis
matic
Artist
Source
Enthusiast
Geek
Curator Critic
Connector Convener
Prophet
Stallman
Torvalds
RaymondO’Reilly
9

10. Scenes usually arise from existing scenes
1. Potential actors see each other
2. They begin to play together
3. They perform publicly together
4. They attract more creators
Scene Formation
10

11. Activities that catalyze scene formation
1. Connect. Help creators see each other.
2. Design Experiences. Have them play together.
3. Create Outlets. Make a contact surface.
4. Build Onramps. Tools, experiences, services
that lower barrier to entry.
Scene Hacking
11

12. 1. Connect 2. Play together
3. Outlets 4. Onramps
Exhibit A:
Open Source Scene Hacking
12

13. ● As a scene evolves, it flattens
● If its generativity is not constantly
renewed, it can become
○ A mythology
○ A product
○ Pieces for reuse by other scenes
○ A market
Scene evolution
13

14. Movements can arise from scenes
14

15. ● Moves the scene towards greater
cooperation by “preaching the
inevitability of values-based change”
● Finds the yearning
● Names the unarticulated
● Builds on a cultural capital base
● Gives permission to be idealistic
The Prophet
15

16. ● Patches a “Structural hole”
in the social network
● Brings together well-connected people
who should know one another but don’t
● Becomes centrally located in an
emerging network
The Issue Entrepreneur
16