5 ms·

TED talks are getting to be a counter-signal of credibility.

manigandham 7y ago
TED Talks lost their luster long ago when they turned into regional self-hosted events with less and less quality checks and more speakers doing sales and promotions.
- lozaning 7y ago
  I thought that was supposed to be the difference between TED and TEDx. TEDx being the one lacking most any credibility.
  - fastball 7y ago
    TEDx isn't really about credibility though. The talks I've seen out of TEDx tend to be more "this is interesting" rather than "this is 100% the truth about ____". I think most TEDx events take themselves less seriously, which results in fewer speakers that think they are the end-all-be-all of some topic. Where as TED events seem to try to get the "foremost expert on ____", even if the entire area of _____ is mostly quackery. Though really I think the pompousness is proportional to size and has (almost) nothing to do with TED vs TEDx. Anecdotally, the fairly large TEDxGlasgow had a lot more wankiness than the quite small TEDxUbud.
verylittlemeat 7y ago
They've been that way for over a decade now
wavefunction 7y ago
I feel like they've been that way for over a decade at the very least. While I may be ignorant of such, I know of no outcomes of TED talks that led to new developments or progress or breakthroughs. The astronomical cost of attendance allows some wealthy people to intellectually slum when --given their resources-- they could already be involved in remarkable efforts.
knzhou 7y ago
TED talks were never a good signal of credibility.
- aaron695 7y ago
  They were incredible when they came out on the internet. It was also incredible they let them be published for the world to see. The world has come so far since those times and it should be acknowledged.
rndgermandude 7y ago
I only still remember one TED talk I watched. The rest vanished from memory. https://www.ted.com/talks/terry_moore_how_to_tie_your_shoes https://www.ted.com/talks/terry_moore_how_to_tie_your_shoes

TED Talks lost their luster long ago when they turned into regional self-hosted events with less and less quality checks and more speakers doing sales and promotions.

lozaning 7y ago
I thought that was supposed to be the difference between TED and TEDx. TEDx being the one lacking most any credibility.
- fastball 7y ago
  TEDx isn't really about credibility though. The talks I've seen out of TEDx tend to be more "this is interesting" rather than "this is 100% the truth about ____". I think most TEDx events take themselves less seriously, which results in fewer speakers that think they are the end-all-be-all of some topic. Where as TED events seem to try to get the "foremost expert on ____", even if the entire area of _____ is mostly quackery. Though really I think the pompousness is proportional to size and has (almost) nothing to do with TED vs TEDx. Anecdotally, the fairly large TEDxGlasgow had a lot more wankiness than the quite small TEDxUbud.

verylittlemeat 7y ago

They've been that way for over a decade now

wavefunction 7y ago

I feel like they've been that way for over a decade at the very least. While I may be ignorant of such, I know of no outcomes of TED talks that led to new developments or progress or breakthroughs. The astronomical cost of attendance allows some wealthy people to intellectually slum when --given their resources-- they could already be involved in remarkable efforts.

knzhou 7y ago

TED talks were never a good signal of credibility.

aaron695 7y ago
They were incredible when they came out on the internet. It was also incredible they let them be published for the world to see. The world has come so far since those times and it should be acknowledged.

rndgermandude 7y ago

I only still remember one TED talk I watched. The rest vanished from memory. https://www.ted.com/talks/terry_moore_how_to_tie_your_shoes https://www.ted.com/talks/terry_moore_how_to_tie_your_shoes