Yes, I would want the president "twittering away" while in meetings.
Steven Hodson
· 1 year ago
you can't honestly be serious
Michelle Greer
· 1 year ago
Social media allows me to share this with you. It is a video of a Burmese refugee here in Austin using a Nintendo Wii to learn to read. http://vimeo.com/1144647
Social media, like this blog, allows me to tell you that the first website this girl wanted to go to when I gave her internet access was Starfall, a website that teaches kids the alphabet.
I will gladly step away from my computer to get my hands dirty and I agree with you on this point. But I'm sorry, I've found computers for Teekuhtoo and some of her friends just using Twitter and a couple of blogs. So I'm just going to keep up the "delusion" that social media can make a difference ;).
Just follow the people making the changes and try to inspire others to do the same.
Ling
· 1 year ago
The net can and is making a difference. For starters, it informs people and involves them, to a much greater degree than any other medium. Which is a good starting point. Second, the print and broadcast media are taking their cues about what's newsworthy from the internet chatter. This translates into a lot of 'indirect credit' for new media.
Steven Hodson
· 1 year ago
so it informs them - then what? where is the groundswell for change. As for old media taking their cue from internet chatter that doesn't mean that social media is effecting any change. Old media is well known for hijacking anything that will increase viewership and then ditching it when it is no longer hot.
Indirect credit doesn't mean squat to the society that this new movement is suppose to be changing. Direct action does - so far social media flits among causes like a hummingbird in a patch of flowers.
Jim Graham
· 1 year ago
Great piece. Web 2.0 apps are merely tools. If they're used to further a good cause, so much the better. It's not the tool, it's how people use them.
I'd argue more good has come from hammers and nails than any Web 2.0 app.
Steven Hodson
· 1 year ago
Thank you Jim but don't get me wrong I do believe that social media does hold some promise but right now it is being used more to advance the causes and careers of those advocating it.
awilensky
· 1 year ago
I would like to say a Hallelujah to Steven.
While many of those responding to his editorial have shown some great comments about how social media is doing something positive, his point still survives the test.
I would like to take it one step further. Social networks have not yet delivered on their hyper inflated promise of improving customer service and CRM business services. We are so ready to embrace these late comers, so ready to fund without the proof of a mission critical use case, so ready to take at face value the statement, "Hi, I'm a social media consultant".
"Oh, what were you doing a year ago?"
"I was marketing copywriter at Sixapart!"
"So what do you do?"
Steven Hodson
· 1 year ago
we are still in the era of the social media hype and with most hype the attention is constantly shifting between each new attention getting event comes along.
Does it hold promise? I think it does but not the way it is right now.
saranicole
· 1 year ago
I will say that the tone of the post is confrontational and somewhat self-righteous, but in keeping with the style of the devil's advocate (although I'm sure the guest writer believes what he's saying, the effect of the post is to play devil's advocate).
What I will add to the conversation is that social media allows the voice of a single person to be heard, without intervention or assistance. That gives a kind of power to each person who uses it. Another aspect of that is it frees the person from having to use their real life social identity. They can cultivate an online personality with online friends. This is good no matter who you are. It's beneficial to society even if the person has other means to socialize, because it broadens their freedom to express themselves.
That's all somewhat abstract, so I will also say that in my own life I have found that social media allows me to keep in contact with different sets of friends in different contexts - I have my Facebook friends, my Twitter friends, etc. Each person seems to find what suits them best and hang out there. The result of that is I have more regular contact with people I might have lost touch with otherwise.
That's why they call it *social*.
Steven Hodson
· 1 year ago
That might be what you call social but that is not what is being marketed about what social media is about. It is all about bringing transparency and the power of the crowd to bear on social issues and misguidedly against companies.
I am glad that you have found a version of social media that works for you in your life - I really am but that isn't what the advocates of the movment what the rest of the world to think of when they hear the words "social media". They want people to think of social change and I'm sorry but I don't see that happening - yet.
Classifieds For Free
· 1 year ago
It is a new technology and a new communication medium. The impact of a technology on societal changes is slow. Change does not happen overnight. How long did it take for the press to be really free and influence the masses. Technology may be giving us the accelerating return on furthering the technology but it does not accelerate the societal changes. Society and human nature changes slowly.
A day may come when the President will use blogs or some other forms online tool (hey it is a better idea because all Presidents write books. Now they will already have lots of materials and feedbacks by the time they leave the office).
Just give it time. 90% of world poulation even does not know what is social media and you are expecting that it will change the world.
Steven Hodson
· 1 year ago
Okay so it doesn't happen overnight. but lets take the Katrina disaster as a small example. In the aftermath much was made of the involvement of the web whether it was through things like social networking - or as it is called this week social media (who knows what it will be called next week).
For about six months we were inundated with how the people on the web were getting all involved in trying to help the people and to pressure the government to live up to their promises.
We are now how many years later? and we still have people living in motel rooms, we still have families seperated by great distances, we still have people living in areas of New Orleans that are disaster zones.
What happened to the flood of goodie two shoes - where are they now? .. where is the social pressure on the government to live up to its promises.
I typically use events and social situation with in the US where this whole social media is suppose to have started and I get slammed for picking on to narrow of a focus. Well I tell you want .. until you can effect change on the society on your own city block, within your own state, within your own countries bourders using this so called wonderful social media there is absolutely no point in trying to export it to the rest of the world because you have now "shining" example of how it can work.
Porter
· 1 year ago
"You want to change society then step away from the keyboard and get your hands dirty."
Pew Center for People and the Press data shows that the more people know, the more likely they are to think it's important/effective to be involved in their community (sorry, link not handy, I have the PDF if you want it).
And engaging in dialogue tends to lead to more dialogue, education, and engagement.
It's not a panacaea, but social media is a damn good step in the right direction at educating and engaging more people. (It can also add to information overload and make you shut down, but it's a young industry.)
Steven Hodson
· 1 year ago
I'm not saying it isn't a good step - I don't believe I ever said it wasn't a good idea. What I disagree with is all the chest thumping on how it's going to change our society when we can't even use it to fix our own problems within our own towns, cities, states and country.
It might be young but this is the perfect time to make sure it can work by doing it on a smaller scale within areas that will make a direct difference to those around us .. not half a world away.
petra
· 1 year ago
Social media forces corporations to make change and be responsible because through social media tools, we the people control the conversation - not the traditional media, not the corporation. The conversation ends when we end it, not with the next news cycle - whatever that means in 2008.
I really don't see this as an either/or situation. You need people to get their hands dirty to make change, you need people "playing with all the newest and coolest toys" to learn and discover how these tools might contribute to change.
And to suggest social media has not made positive change is ludicrous and I won't justify the notion with a laundry list to prove you wrong.
You may be right about politicians incorrectly using social media as a soapbox to shout from, but overall I'm really astonished at the cynicism in this piece, it's truly misguided.
francine hardaway
· 1 year ago
Change doesn't happen overnight. Of course Hillary isn't Twittering. ANd candidates probably take their Twitter accounts down when they lose or withdraw. BUT at least they know about Twitter and used it as a way to convey information. Now it's talking points, but next gen, when people grow up with more transparency, it will work the way it should.
BTW, I'm older than you are. And there are many ways to carry out social change.
Steven Hodson
· 1 year ago
and what are you basing the fact that you are older then myself .. do I know you?
Of course change doesn't happen overnight especially when we are constantly hopping on the hottest bandwagon of the moment and leaving the previous bandwagons going around in circles now that their direction has been taken from them.
Jill Foster
· 1 year ago
After first reading this, I was all on the defensive ready to come running out as the "social media cheerleader we-can-save-it-all!".
Yet after reading comments here, the perspective of Steven's post took a different, less defensive turn in my mind.
I agree social media is not the cure all in and of itself. It is however another way to reach & convene people. And in my experience, many folks I've met via online networks have been action-driven: canvasing for their presidential candidate; raising funds for causes; and educating themselves more on how to better help their clients (and families). Thx for provoking thought on this.
Steven Hodson
· 1 year ago
You are more than welcome Jill and I am glad that this has provoke thoughts and conversation about the whole thing. That is always my intent as we can'tove forward and really achieve anything with midless beating of the drums. We can though when we articulate the reasons, the why's and the wherefor's.
Chris Anderson
· 1 year ago
It is irrelevant whether Hilary Clinton or George Bush are twittering or launching facebook apps.
Social media enables new patterns of communication that makes redundant the existing system for communicating political ideas from people to policy.
Cut out the middle men. This new technology allows us all to feed into a democratic process in a meaningful way that has never been possible before.
All Comments
http://vimeo.com/1144647
Social media, like this blog, allows me to tell you that the first website this girl wanted to go to when I gave her internet access was Starfall, a website that teaches kids the alphabet.
Social media allows me to show you pictures of her friends:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nertzy/sets/721576...
I will gladly step away from my computer to get my hands dirty and I agree with you on this point. But I'm sorry, I've found computers for Teekuhtoo and some of her friends just using Twitter and a couple of blogs. So I'm just going to keep up the "delusion" that social media can make a difference ;).
http://factoryjoe.com/blog/2007/10/22/twitter-h...
@iamdave Social media for cancer survivors:
http://sharinghope.tv
@conniereece Raising money for breast cancer with Twitter:
http://mediabullseye.com/mb/2008/04/my-oovoo-gi...
Dave Fleet raised money for cancer. 59% of donations for cancer came from people he knew only online:
http://davefleet.com/2008/04/case-study-using-s...
Just follow the people making the changes and try to inspire others to do the same.
Indirect credit doesn't mean squat to the society that this new movement is suppose to be changing. Direct action does - so far social media flits among causes like a hummingbird in a patch of flowers.
I'd argue more good has come from hammers and nails than any Web 2.0 app.
While many of those responding to his editorial have shown some great comments about how social media is doing something positive, his point still survives the test.
I would like to take it one step further. Social networks have not yet delivered on their hyper inflated promise of improving customer service and CRM business services. We are so ready to embrace these late comers, so ready to fund without the proof of a mission critical use case, so ready to take at face value the statement, "Hi, I'm a social media consultant".
"Oh, what were you doing a year ago?"
"I was marketing copywriter at Sixapart!"
"So what do you do?"
Does it hold promise? I think it does but not the way it is right now.
What I will add to the conversation is that social media allows the voice of a single person to be heard, without intervention or assistance. That gives a kind of power to each person who uses it. Another aspect of that is it frees the person from having to use their real life social identity. They can cultivate an online personality with online friends. This is good no matter who you are. It's beneficial to society even if the person has other means to socialize, because it broadens their freedom to express themselves.
That's all somewhat abstract, so I will also say that in my own life I have found that social media allows me to keep in contact with different sets of friends in different contexts - I have my Facebook friends, my Twitter friends, etc. Each person seems to find what suits them best and hang out there. The result of that is I have more regular contact with people I might have lost touch with otherwise.
That's why they call it *social*.
I am glad that you have found a version of social media that works for you in your life - I really am but that isn't what the advocates of the movment what the rest of the world to think of when they hear the words "social media". They want people to think of social change and I'm sorry but I don't see that happening - yet.
A day may come when the President will use blogs or some other forms online tool (hey it is a better idea because all Presidents write books. Now they will already have lots of materials and feedbacks by the time they leave the office).
Just give it time. 90% of world poulation even does not know what is social media and you are expecting that it will change the world.
For about six months we were inundated with how the people on the web were getting all involved in trying to help the people and to pressure the government to live up to their promises.
We are now how many years later? and we still have people living in motel rooms, we still have families seperated by great distances, we still have people living in areas of New Orleans that are disaster zones.
What happened to the flood of goodie two shoes - where are they now? .. where is the social pressure on the government to live up to its promises.
I typically use events and social situation with in the US where this whole social media is suppose to have started and I get slammed for picking on to narrow of a focus. Well I tell you want .. until you can effect change on the society on your own city block, within your own state, within your own countries bourders using this so called wonderful social media there is absolutely no point in trying to export it to the rest of the world because you have now "shining" example of how it can work.
Pew Center for People and the Press data shows that the more people know, the more likely they are to think it's important/effective to be involved in their community (sorry, link not handy, I have the PDF if you want it).
And engaging in dialogue tends to lead to more dialogue, education, and engagement.
It's not a panacaea, but social media is a damn good step in the right direction at educating and engaging more people. (It can also add to information overload and make you shut down, but it's a young industry.)
It might be young but this is the perfect time to make sure it can work by doing it on a smaller scale within areas that will make a direct difference to those around us .. not half a world away.
I really don't see this as an either/or situation. You need people to get their hands dirty to make change, you need people "playing with all the newest and coolest toys" to learn and discover how these tools might contribute to change.
And to suggest social media has not made positive change is ludicrous and I won't justify the notion with a laundry list to prove you wrong.
You may be right about politicians incorrectly using social media as a soapbox to shout from, but overall I'm really astonished at the cynicism in this piece, it's truly misguided.
BTW, I'm older than you are. And there are many ways to carry out social change.
Of course change doesn't happen overnight especially when we are constantly hopping on the hottest bandwagon of the moment and leaving the previous bandwagons going around in circles now that their direction has been taken from them.
Yet after reading comments here, the perspective of Steven's post took a different, less defensive turn in my mind.
I agree social media is not the cure all in and of itself. It is however another way to reach & convene people. And in my experience, many folks I've met via online networks have been action-driven: canvasing for their presidential candidate; raising funds for causes; and educating themselves more on how to better help their clients (and families). Thx for provoking thought on this.
Social media enables new patterns of communication that makes redundant the existing system for communicating political ideas from people to policy.
Cut out the middle men. This new technology allows us all to feed into a democratic process in a meaningful way that has never been possible before.
There are experiments here: http://metagovernment.org/wiki and here: http://openingpolitics.org
Give it a try.