One evening, when I was seven years old —I remember the age clearly because my younger brother’s (who was born a few months before) baby stroller was in the sitting room that evening— my father allowed me to operate his Kodak camera.
Although I do not remember what I did to deserve the privilege (he was very protective of the camera), I remember putting on a pair of denim jeans my Uncle bought for me on holiday in Sapele, Delta state, just the month before.
I lift the camera and … click!
The baby stroller, my mother’s hand protecting her eyes from the flash, my sisters in the background, and my father half-smiling, all come into the frame. Depending on who you ask, this was, up till that time, called a Kokak moment. A moment that is so beautiful, so important, that you can’t afford to miss it without photographing it.
We all sat around my father as he raised the camera’s films against a lamp so we could see what the pictures looked like. The next day, he took them to work and about a week later, the printed versions of our photographs eventually return to us.
Tonight (Oct. 3), I pick up my phone in my dimly lit apartment, take a picture, and send it to an iMessage contact. All of this takes less than two minutes. And it is not with a Kodak. It is with an iPhone.
Where did Kodak go?
Kodak: the rise, the fall
“You press the button, we do the rest.”
This was Kodak’s first advertising slogan, coined by George Eastman, Kodak’s founder in 1892. When the camera company was founded, it was built on the premise of making photography as easy as possible even for people who lacked expertise in photography. As time went by and photography became easier, so did operating a Kodak. In fact, Kodak invented the first hand-held camera.
But as time went by and digital transformation happened, Kodak’s over a century old legacy soon met an unfateful end. In a world where camera’s were increasingly taking different shapes (especially on phones), Kodak failed to adapt and digitise its product. It lost its moment of transformation.
One day, Kodak woke up and it couldn't take it anymore. It filed for bankruptcy. Kodak’s inability to transform and the moments leading up to their exit, has been dubbed as the Kodak moment.
It is defined as “the situation in which a business fails to foresee changes within its industry and drops from a market-dominant position to being a minor player or declares bankruptcy.”
The Kodak moment is a reminder that change is constant and that those who fail to adapt may soon be booted out of business. We have a shorter life expectancy than Eastman Kodak company had, yet, many people fall into the trap of not wanting to know new things, try new things, become new persons, in fear of what is on the other side.
The world we live in, faster than it ever has, is evolving in the blink of an eye. As individuals, we have to recognise our Kodak moments, know when we need to adapt to the market by taking new courses, trying a new discipline, moving out of a job that no longer allows us to grow, and recreate ourselves.
During the week, a beautiful woman —who is now threatening with marital vows— shared this article with me. And it essentially captures what the Kodak moment means for us as individuals. You should read it.
The ball is in your court.
TEA
So far this year, we have had 35 NAN (today makes it 36) and I have been thinking —really, since the first release— about putting all of this year’s NANs in a pdf at the end of the year. Is this something you will be interested in? Please reply (privately or in the comments). '
Recently, I attended TEDxUnilorin, which I MC-ed, and it was one of my special TEDx events (of course I am biased). The videos of the presentations for the TEDx event have been uploaded by TED Talks. You can find them here. I have no doubts that you will enjoy them.
Finally, I must mention that the likelihood of having NANs in December (or for all Mondays in December) are incredibly slim. But let’s see what happens before October runs out.
For now, selah!
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Be nice to other people, smile as much as you can, and live freely. Have a great week.
Wonderful write-up as always. Very interested in the PDF compilation, too.
Yes please... I'd be glad. I loved the way you write too, starting with a story about you do indulge me in your writing