My 19-year-old nephew is a huge TED fan. This was news to me so I asked him a few questions about why TED is relevant to him and other young people.
Why do you like TED?
TED has the most interesting people; the big names from around the world. TED presenters are experts in their fields. It’s not like it’s just some guy on Youtube taking about how penguins are stealing our thoughts.
What’s your favourite recent talk?
“Is this our final century” by Martin Rees. It asks deep and meaningful questions.
[This talk covers on how human beings are mid-way between the micro and the macro worlds, between atoms and stars. It would take as many human bodies to make up the sun as it takes atoms to make a human being - a startling symmetry. Rees also discusses how 21st century Science may change human beings themselves for the first time just as humans are already changing their home planet.]
What’s your favourite TED talk ever?
“The Brain in Love” by Helen Fisher (Well he is a teenager).
[Given how fundamental this subject is to human experience, it's surprising there aren't more talks on romantic love in TED's catalogue. The talk is about how almost nobody gets makes it unscathed through the travails of being in love. It's about how romantic love obsesses people, gets worse when they have been rejected and is a fundamental human need and addiction.]
Do you think that many young people are aware of TED?
Most aren’t. TED isn’t really marketed to young people. People find out about it via word of mouth – I have told others about it. I heard about it via StumbleUpon because it was related to one of my interests.
Would you like to go to a TED event?
Definitely. I would love to be able to ask questions on the talks and meet the people there. People who are interested in TED are cut from the same cloth. They all want to find out something useful.
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