Can you see the family resemblance?! |
Originating from Southampton many of my ancestors are sailors but none more famous than John Fryer who set sail in 1788 as Master of the Bounty. He was unique in that he was the one member of the crew who disagreed with Captain William Bligh's decision to promote Fletcher Christian (later leader of the mutineers) to Acting Lieutenant but then remained loyal to Bligh after he was cast overboard. Bligh's account of the Mutiny vilified Fryer, but Fryer gave fair evidence at Bligh's court-martial. Edward Christian, Fletcher's brother, was assisted by Fryer in publishing a counterweight to Bligh's version.
John Fryer's Narrative |
Whereas earlier generations only have very small pieces of information about their lives recorded and perhaps only a few photographs with which to be remembered we are now awash with detailed, self published, online diaries listing what people have eaten for dinner, where they have checked in on Facebook and a mass of photos saved on the devices we all carry around in our pockets. This rising generation is the most photographed in history and one statistic estimates that in the past five years, more photos have been taken than all the prior years combined.
There is a lot of content out there! |
A big part of my current job at Kier is to increase the reach of our brand online. Essentially I am responsible for actively managing our digital footprint to build the foundations of how the brand is, and will be, perceived. The opposite side of this (the passive digital footprint) where we are mentioned by the public or in which our logo is photographed somewhere, is something we can attempt to control but eventually we are no longer the masters of our own destiny in the way the rich and powerful were in the past.
Mutineers turn Captain Bligh and 18 others (including John Fryer) adrift |
Obviously it will never reach the exciting heights of John Fryer's life - I've worked in some colourful places but never any that have shown signs of a full scale mutiny!
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