Alumnus’ lecture will address benefits and costs of a technology-dependent world

After years of being away, John Loiacono, who graduated from Fresno State in 1984, will be returning to campus to lecture on the advancement of technology as part of the College of Arts and Humanities Lecture Series.

Don’t worry, though. Loiacono said his lecture, on Tuesday night at 5 p.m. in the Education Building, will not be your “typical” speech.

“I hate boring lecturers,” Loiacono said, “If I am boring you can throw tomatoes at me.”

Loiacono, who originally went into marketing, is the senior vice president of Adobe’s Creative Solutions Business Unit and is in charge of programs such as Adobe Photoshop and Macromedia Flash, among others. He will be talking about trends in media and how these trends affect the people who use them.

Risky business

After college, Loiacono started working at Sun Microsystems in marketing, where he learned to become a risk taker.

“We had a motto at Sun: to ask permission is to seek denial,” Loiacono said. “I believe you should prepare yourself to be fired everyday.”

This is a quality he actually looks for in his staff. He wants someone who has the ability to try and fail.

“If you never fail, then you are not risky enough,” Loiacono said. “If you fail 90 percent of the time, then maybe you are a little too risky.”

Loiacono considers himself to be a risky person when it comes to business, although he says on social values, he might be considered more conservative.

No experience necessary

After 20 years of working at Sun, Loiacono made the decision to take a management position at Adobe Systems. This, he said, was a big career move.

“It wasn’t a surprise to anyone when I started out in marketing,” Loiacono said. “But when I decided to start working with computers I even surprised myself, because I never had any formal training.”

For someone who was not around when computers were used regularly in the classroom, the way Loiacono has established himself could be deemed impressive.

“I learned because of hands-on experience in the workplace,” said Loiacono. “You pick it up and train yourself.”

Fresno State built strong foundations

Loiacono feels Fresno State benefited him during his collegiate years, especially the extracurricular activities he was involved in.

During his years as a Bulldog, Loiacono worked at the sports information center on campus. Working there, he said, was a great experience and taught him the skills he needed for his marketing career.

“Writing on a deadline and a constant basis were the key things that helped me down the road in my career,” he said.

Technology: From the pros to the people

Loiacono’s lecture will cover the topic of how trends affect people socially.

“Social skills lack when we text back and forth or IM. It’s more interactive talking on the phone or over the computer when you can see the person’s face and personality,” Loiacono said.

Loiacono said that professionals such as Disney and CNN used to create content, but today it is generated by anyone and everyone. Phones are overruling the number of PCs because people can use their phone to create videos, check email and use the web.

“I saw footage of a plane crash that was taken from someone who captured it on their phone,” he said. “Now networking consists of multiple people looking and interacting over the same thing.”

With so much to discuss, Loiacono doesn’t expect too many tomatoes to be thrown.

“It will not be your typical lecture,” Loiacono said. “It’s going to be fun.”