This morning, I happened across a video of flocking starlings that Rick Julian of creative agency Quo Vadis has posted to Facebook. I don't know Julian but I suppose he's a friend-of-a-Facebook-friend. So when that friend commented on the video and that comment showed up in my News Feed, I was drawn along and, before I new it, I was on the Quo Vadis Facebook page and mesmerized by the video.
Since Facebook doesn't allow embeds (boo) and I can't find the video on YouTube (boo), I've embedded a similar video below (as always, feed and email readers will have to click through to my blog to watch.) The Quo Vadis version has a nice soundtrack but you'll definitely get the gist from this one.
I've also shared the Quo Vadis version on my Facebook profile so, if we're Friends, you can watch the actual video that inspired this post there.
As much as the video is fascinating, the Quo Vadis commentary about the video -- and why it's relevant to those of us who work in marketing or media, make a living helping others understand the social web, or fancy themselves trend spotters of one kind or another -- really brought it into focus for me:
"These starlings move in complete concert with one another, individual, yet of one mind. We think people move in a similar way: flocking to locations, experiences, trends . . . often unaware of the forces that move them."
