South by Southwest Interactive is one of the world’s largest gatherings for tech enthusiasts, businesspeople, and general hipsters. With thousands of products and ideas being thrown around at SxSWi – sometimes literally, as in the case of dot.com upstarters tossing their merch at passersby – one can expect to find a range of people and personalities at the coffee-fueled convention. Below are some of the main characters in the conference cast. These are the stereotypes that you are statistically guaranteed to encounter if you attend SxSWi.
The Camera Crew – Everyone is a reporter at SxSWi. And yes, I realize the irony in my making fun of people who chronicle the festival. Still, it’s pretty funny to observe camera crews filming people who are photographing people who are talking about people photographing and filming other people. Got all that?
The Photographer – A close relative of the camera crew, the photographer is usually more concerned with getting just the right image rather than covering the general goings-on. The photographer is generally more artistically motivated; the camera crew more businesslike. While everyone at SxSWi has a camera, the true photographers are discernible by their $8,500 digital cameras, made to look old-school, which prompt people to ask, “Oh my God! What kind of camera is that?”, a question to which the play-it-cool photographer will reply, “It’s just a digital.” Because the photographer is too “raw” to get caught up in all the tech talk.
The Gadgeteer – aka “The Gadget Guy/Girl,” or “The Gadget Guru,” this teched-out character for some reason needs three different cameras, an iPhone (with a camera), a laptop (with a camera), and all the requisite wires, adapters, and ergonomically enhanced shoulder straps (see left). The multitasking required of this person is at best humanly impossible, and at worst destroying his or her ability to socialize and function in the offline world.
The Nerd – There are many varieties of nerd, among them super-intelligent, unkempt, introverted, excessively caffeinated, and ironically unemployed. They are all out in force at SxSWi; after all, this is pretty much a giant geeking-out session. Regardless of specific type, all nerds are intelligent, can do way too many things with electronics, and will crack a condescending smirk whenever they talk to normal folks (and by that I mean me) about technology.
The Hipster – Needs no explanation. At least I hope not, because there are tons of subtle variations in hipsterism. The bottom line is, these are the cool kids. If you are in a band like Shinobi Ninja (see left), or if you look uncannily like a teenage version of TV On The Radio (see above), then you, my perfectly clothed and bespectacled friend, are a hipster.
The Party Promoter – SxSWi is held in party-friendly Austin, and there are a lot of really busy, must-do-47-blogposts-per-day tweetaholics and professionals in attendance. These people get really stressed, and the party promoter is there to offer just what they need – alcohol and socialization. The party promoter will hand you a card so fast that you’ll wonder if your reflexes have turned against you, and every SxSWi attendee leaves with no fewer than the number of cards it would take to build a life-sized replica of downtown Austin.
The Student – SxSWi provides an excellent opportunity for students to explore emerging technologies, ideas, and career fields. If only the damn thing didn’t start at 9 a.m., when we are probably still drunk from the night before…oh well, SxSWi is still awesome. And nine hours of walking, listening, blogging, editing, and interviewing – on three hours of sleep – is easy when you’re having a great time.
Photos by Eric Morales
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I wish I would have been able to attend to see all of these aspects of the convention. SxSW seems so diverse and I would have loved to have been there! The students that attended hopefully got awesome experience and networking skills during the week.
I have no heard any information about the bands though! How have they been performing?
-Jessie Spielvogel
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I wish spring break was scheduled during SXSW, simply for the experience of people watching downtown. Austin usually provides some off the wall characters to observe, but I can only imagine the crowd south by drew.
Every element of the festival brings a diverse crowd to Austin, the festival’s atmosphere is perfect for the city.
Good job illustrating the festival’s various “characters” and their roles.
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This post made me laugh. It’s dead on. The Cameras were everywhere, the camera crews were everywhere. The gadget people were around, always looking down and walking somewhere. Especially in the convention center, students were everywhere looking around and typing things and such. The promoters were annoying at times, but also had some good things to give out.
Hipsters owned the city. They were the majority (at least in the music conference). There was not a step i took that didn’t involve maneuvering around a hip dude, hip girl, or teen hipster. I am not saying I am not hip to the groove, but these people out-do themselves.