Here’s what tech evangelist Sree Sreenivasan is up to these days. Upon stepping down as the first ever Chief Digital Officer of Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met Museum) in New York in June, Sree 3.0 (this version is his life after Met) is vacationing in India, taking a social media speaking tour with Twitter in big cities. Sree was severely jetlagged when we caught up with him in Kochi at the venue for his first instalment of talks. Topping all, the incessant power outage tempts him to catch some extra winks.
Yet he keeps recharging himself from a quick nap, leaving nothing to go for a toss to address a motley crowd which is about to gather. Prior to the talk, the tech ace settles into a chair, sharing a few insights. Going by his Met exit note on Facebook, he has ample time now and he tells others to lend him an invite for anything ‘including for meaningful cups of coffee.’ This touring talk has come about a month after him signing off.
“My goal is to help people use technology better. I am a big fan of technology and there is a whole lot of opportunity for all of us to use these tools and understand them. I am constantly learning myself as I explore technology. There are really good tools we all should know. The more we know, the more we can be good at understanding where and how to use technology,” he says.
Sree Sreenivasan during the session in Kochi
Having stayed at the helm of digital affairs for a 145-year-old museum, the reservoir of a 5,000-year history, Sree picks one exciting incident out. “We brought Kamal Haasan to the Met and he did a conversation on Facebook Live to connect with his fans around the world. We had 30-40 thousand views of our conversation from around the world. But for me, much more exciting was to see him interact with our art and ask questions,” he rewinds.
Though Sree had to hang up his boots in the face of a financial turbulence, his three years made Met stand tall on the global digital map. He pioneered its flagship programmes such as ‘The Met App’, ‘The Artist Project’ and ‘Facebook 360 immersive’ videos. An exponential rise was marked in the social media following of Met. He catapulted its engagement on platforms like Facebook Live and China’s WeChat and Weibo. What’s more? His name figured in the Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People in Business in 2015!
Cut in to Sree: “I believe that there is a future in using technology to create art, but also using technology to preserve art, connect with art and to be relevant in people’s lives. That’s something you can do using digital and smart ways.” Sree explains how not to get washed away in the deluge of information overload and stay focused on what we want to make out of it. “I tell people to pick the things that make sense for them. You need not do everything, you don’t need to be on all platforms and jump on everything,” he advises and goes on to say, “We have to understand the perils and promises of these technologies. And if you do, you can be very successful.”
Those who blame social media can take tips from Sree. “I am a big believer in connecting with people when you don’t need them so that they are there when you need them. For the first time in human history, social media allowed us to connect with people without asking them for something,” says Sree who works out a ‘no technology at dining table’ policy at home —worth cribbing.
There is much more to come from this third version of Sree — the first two being his 21-year stint in Columbia University (as professor of digital media and later Chief Digital Officer) and tryst with Met chronologically. He has been working on a book about embracing change in institutions and in our professional and personal lives. A slice of his expertise goes into consulting for Knight Foundation’s arts programme. In August the tour reaches Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Chennai .
