Posts Tagged ‘change’

Is Social Media Training Us to Help Others?

Posted on: June 29th, 2011 by Geoff Livingston 5 Comments

by David Murray

The Morning After SxSW on 6th St
Image: The Morning After SxSWi on 6th St

Those who claim the social media bubble is about to burst may want to take closer look at the landscape.

2010 was supposed to be the year of social media adoption. The year companies and professionals from all industries celebrated the blind acceptance of tools as a substitute for effective marketing. But for those who still practice the ancient art of listening, understand that this didn’t happen.

If we look at social media as a communication channel then companies and industry professionals need to re-learn what it means to communicate. Better yet, both parties would be well served to remember that this medium doesn’t suffer fools lightly.

And who are the biggest fools when it comes to this space?

Perhaps it is the few who believe social media can and should be used for more than just effective marketing and successful business communications. These folk use social media for social good. How strange.

This goes against the grain of the immediate ego pampering tools that are at everyone’s disposal. It’s easy to talk about ourselves, what we are doing, and whom we are with. It’s not in our nature to sacrifice the spotlight, and share it with our neighbor.

If the social web is a mirror of our human behavior, then this shouldn’t be a surprise.

It’s about looking out for #1, right? If you believe we do come from some primordial ooze, then just watch The Discovery Channel. Those wild beasts understand the rules. It’s survival, not followers. There’s no re-tweeting in their world.

But the fact that we will re-tweet something from someone is what separates us from the animals.

Though there is still a lot of “I” happening on the social web, we are beginning to see more of “You.” There are people bringing value to the table before they bring themselves. They’re doing something we all strive to do, but don’t always succeed in accomplishing. They’re helping.

Helping isn’t natural.

We all want to be good individuals on this chess board, however, it is not in our immediate nature to lend a hand to a friend, let alone a stranger. Perhaps the social web is training us to be better individuals? At least it’s providing a stage for those who want to create something bigger than themselves. This can only increase the possibility that their actions will “influence” others to follow.

The true leaders are beginning to replace rock stars.

As more individuals think about the value they can bring to this space, the more we will see what it really means to be social, and what it really means to help your fellow human being. We’ve already seen this in action, and this new thing called helping can only grow from here.

The social media bubble is far from bursting.

We are re-learning value. We are re-learning what it means to truly help. There is still much to re-learn, but thanks to social media we are heading in the right direction.

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David Murray (@DaveMurr) is the Social Web Communications Director for re:group, a fully integrated marketing and communications firm focused on creating and maintaining relevant, powerful brands. You can connect with David and re:group on Twitter and Facebook.

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Can We Change the World?

Posted on: June 12th, 2011 by Geoff Livingston 14 Comments

Barack obama yes we can

Many times we wonder if we really can change things. Some wish to change all of society, while others want to resolve a specific problem, like education, homelessness, or environmental issues. Passion drives them, but many of us question whether our actions really matter.

Simon Mainwaring’s current bestseller We First (See Beth Kanter’s book review) certainly challenges us to believe that change of all kinds can happen. Mainwaring advocates for a sea change in capitalist culture towards mandated ethical corporate social responsibility and cause marketing. He advocates for a We attitude instead of a Me attitude. His suggested primary catalyst for change is, you guessed it, social media.


If They Can Do It… From Ignite Better Baltimore

It’s easy to fall in love with social media, and believe we can change the world with it. Certainly, it is a powerful tool set for grass roots activism. The accomplishments of Middle East dissidents have shown us that with hard work over years it is possible to overcome established power structures and current media influences with these tools (see above video). Anyone of us can do this.

In the end social media are just tools. People change society, collectively. Individually, it takes hard work to get our peers one by one to move with us. Grassroots movements are not built in a day, and many are never fully realized. But as time evolves with momentum and success, we can move en masse towards desired change. The organizers behind Egypt’s January 25th revolution — Ahmed Maher, Asmaa Mahfouz, Wael Ghonim, and Israa Abdel Fattah — were unknown activists working behind the scenes since 2009.

You have to give Mainwaring credit. He advocates for change with We First, and leads by example with his marketing consultancy of the same name. As a long term resident in Washington, DC, his idealism is admirable. How that change occurs is another question.

The mandates from We First are reminiscent of the Obama campaign’s promises to sweep Washington, DC into the 2.0 conversation revolution. Three years later… In many ways Washington is still mired in bureaucratic reality. While some data has opened up, Congress is still a frustrating nightmare, and Obama’s progressive election platform of “Yes, we can” feels like the bitter empty promises of a dying love affair.

That doesn’t mean that changing the face of capitalism can’t occur. Again, any of us can become change agents, even if we are affecting one person at a time. Certainly, this book would be well served as an ethical challenge to business students. How Mainwaring convinces Wall Street and the Fortune 500 to change their ways remains to be seen. Kudos to Simon for throwing down the gauntlet, and taking an activist’s role.

What do you think? Can we change the world?

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A Better Social Web Exists

Posted on: February 18th, 2011 by Geoff Livingston 13 Comments

Silhouette of Fire in Khaki Blue

A better social web exists. It exists within each of us.

Today, this social web isn’t popular, instead it has fascinating small pools and eddies of action and meaningful dialogue. But this can be The Social Web, a place better than a popularity driven attention sphere focused on the best looking unicorn (Bieber or Kardashian, take your pick).

Our virtual worlds can become a place of vigorous discourse. Rather than dismissing social media‘s incredibly empowering capability in the hands of the Fifth Estate, the better social web seeks to increase online literacy for Everyone using these tools. The Middle East is just an example of what driven people can do with intelligent networking tools. So much more can be accomplished if we apply ourselves.

Rather than arguing over ideas and dismissing what we don’t like as uncivil (and thus engage in civility debates), politeness and manners will take precedence. Discourse can include disagreement without discoloring it with a personal sense of “respectful” civility. Posturing and maintaining top rankings via attention metrics will mean less in the Real Social Web.

The Real Social Web is a meritocracy where great acts drive the ebb and flow of the tides. This social web of the future works for society instead of trying to fleece it. Accomplishing acts that matter will take precedence: Social change occurs, companies working hand in hand with nonprofits to achieve great acts, and companies serving their customers with better products in services, embracing them as part of an extended social enterprise.

Popcorn dreams? Maybe. But changemakers seize on ideas and make them happen. Dreams can be achieved.

What do we have to do to get there? We can’t turn a blind eye to it. As communicators we are as responsible for the current PR 2.0 driven popularity mess as Silicon Valley is. We have to look at ourselves, and see how we have created this and why? It is incumbent on us to mindfully evolve within to create this new social web of the future.

We must speak up, one by one. And we need to stop rewarding the old PR systems and the people who have lead us into the popularity trap. It’s time to start asking why these people are popular, and what they did “Before Social Media.” What qualifies them to lead the communications industry besides personal attention?

Together we can collectively build a better online community. This means educating ourselves and our customers on what real business outcomes are. It means focusing on the basics, instead of the hyperbole of the latest shiny object (Android Honeycomb app, anyone?). It means much stronger practices of metric based communications across the industry. Instead of focusing on the Klouts of the world we need to develop more myImpacts.

It means talking to our children and reinvesting our values back into great deeds and hard work instead of quick fixes and popularity. Digital literacy and understanding how information is served must become a critical function of our education system. Sustainable happiness will be the outcome as opposed to short term vicarious pleasure (yum, Pop Chips).

The Real Social Web of the future is a place where anyone can use these tools to achieve great things. Imagine writing literature of the digital future, making a child laugh, creating a virtual place where scientists from around the world work to conquer AIDs, building the best company in a sector, or achieving a more peaceful, democratic country.

Yeah, it’s a dream. But inside this heart a better social web exists. Some people live this dream already. It’s worth fighting for.

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