Mashable - The Social Media Guide - Latest Comments in Never Mind Social Media, How About Social Hacking?

Re: Never Mind Social Media, How About Social Hacking?

JP Micek — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 03:53:06 -0000

G. Boynton ~ Because one doesn't "feel" they were manipulated doesn't mean they weren't. The Russians who "voted" in the poll were expressing pride in their Country's actions in Georgia.

My point is that the current upswing in Russian patriotism is orchestrated by the Russian media same as the US mainstream media has attempted to orchestrate an increase in anti-war sentiment in the US.

Only difference is, Putin and the KGB are using the media to bolster pride in their Country. While our media elite has decided it's best to tear down our Country.

In either case, the media is a major component in mass persuasion of the general public. Do a little research on Edward Bernays, his development of the the Engineering of Consent, Hitler and Goebbels use of his principles and his framing of the Cold War in the US and you'll see what I mean by "manipulation."

Oh, btw -- manipulation is not necessarily a bad thing. You just manipulated your fingers to type out your comment. ;-)

Re: Never Mind Social Media, How About Social Hacking?

G. Boynton — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 01:43:13 -0000

This happens all the time in government/politics. It used to be post cards that interest groups would distribute to members to send to congress. Now it is email, and that produces hundreds of thousands of messages to congress, when an executive rule is open for public comment. Etc.

However, I do not think "manipulation" is the right way to understand what is happening here. I doubt if the Russians who 'voted' felt manipulated any more than the people who forward a message from their favorite interest group feel manipulated.

Sometimes people call it democracy in action.

Re: Never Mind Social Media, How About Social Hacking?

JP Micek — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 14:28:00 -0000

Fact is human nature does not change. The majority of people are more easily manipulated than they'd like to think. Especially when the mob mentality takes over. (And no, "smart" mobs are as some have tried to propose, exist in the land of unicorns & smurfs.)

Edward Bernays proved this starting in the early 1900's. He and others modeling his work changed the method of controlling masses from "command and control" to mass persuasion, what became known as "the engineering of consent." This is where true power resides.

This CNN poll and the response from Russian bloggers is an interesting example of mass media persuasion beyond the obvious stated here. The Russian people are expressing overwhelming pride in what their military is doing in Georgia. The same situation with the US military would likely bring a flood of protests against our actions (publicized & promoted by CNN.) Two extremes, both generated by the media.

Re: Never Mind Social Media, How About Social Hacking?

Svetlana Gladkova — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 05:24:08 -0000

Steven, excellent post this one is. The only thing I wanted to mention is that social media is equally capable of manipulating the crowds both for bad and for GOOD. And for Russians the CNN poll was actually a good cause to help the world see what people really see about the conflict. If it were for a bad cause people would have been much harder to manipulate and no one would have been able to initiate such a viral campaign if people did not believe in the cause.

Re: Never Mind Social Media, How About Social Hacking?

kemeny — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 17:01:57 -0000

some one is using some kind of mass email marketing to push around spam from CNN and MSNBC news alerts.

Re: Never Mind Social Media, How About Social Hacking?

kemeny — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 17:00:24 -0000

its not just CNN right now. today i started receiving the same email but this time from MSNBC.... any one have any ideas on this?

Re: Never Mind Social Media, How About Social Hacking?

Carl — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 16:54:12 -0000

It's already happened - anything posted on Reddit or Digg and so on gets this sort of treatment. Mr. Splashy Pants is a big example, as is Ron Paul winning every online poll. Also, the whole Anonymous against Scientology thing.

I don't think it's too worrying - I think it's more like viral marketing. It won't work if you force it, you can't just create a furore about something, the people have to agree with you.

If Steve Jobs started telling people to do something then we'd be screwed.

Re: Never Mind Social Media, How About Social Hacking?

Fabrice Epelboin — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 16:20:42 -0000

Great post, and great subject... reminds me of the latest McCain online initiative, providing online mobs with premade comments ;)
I think we're going to see these kind of phenomenon more and more.

Re: Never Mind Social Media, How About Social Hacking?

digitalfemme — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 16:18:40 -0000

Interesting post. I was thinking about this very same issue/concept just yesterday. These social media platforms are indeed very powerful and it's only a matter of time (I do believe it's happening already) when 'social hacking' is stepped up a notch and refined to what it really can be. A tool for inspiring a 'movement'.

As much as negativity can be spread, the potential for the positive is what I'm focused on hoping to see more of.

~ Carmen