I love sport, but I'm not a hardcore fan of any one team. After all, why the hell do we care if a team we're not on wins or loses? Why? Because it matters to us as a community of fans who cheer the team. Community. Belonging. Connectedness. These are fundamental needs of human existence.
And so connectedness is the core appeal of Social Media and precisely what makes it hard to think that all of this is just a passing fad.
I've made friends here with people from all parts of the globe. People who would be strangers if not for the advent of the Internet and Social Media. So what does it really mean that we can emotionally connect with people everywhere in real-time? For one, we can know what we're all having for breakfast. I jest. Of course this is one of the arguments employed by those who don't understand global connectivity. What it really means is that we gain a wider perspective of the complex world we live in. It forces us reconsider that which we hold true by virtue of our own limited experiences. Mostly, it makes us more human.
Hillary Clinton once said, "It takes a village." I've never been a Clinton fan, but that one line is brilliant. The closer we are to our common humanism, the harder it is for us to destroy each other.
Sure, we talk about how to commercialize Social Media and how to make our work and lives more efficient by using this amazing medium – but none of us should discount the global connectedness that it offers. We're lucky to be alive during such an enlightening period of human communications.
Jim is a father, husband, copywriter and founder of the virtual ad agency smashcommunications You can find him on Twitter @smashadv
nichole
Dec 16, 2009
Well said. And true.
I wish more people looked at social media as a way to connect rather than yet another way to push consumption.
mckra1g
Dec 16, 2009
Interesting that you would use the graphic of the tree to represent connectedness.
The roots represent networking for me – the amazing, in depth systemic base of people I’ve met through social media channels that have enabled me and my work to flourish (as represented by the foliage of the tree). It’s a symbiotic relationship, and one which reinforces the need to branch out and connect with each tweet.
FWIW, I think it’s charming to know what someone in Paris had for breakfast. 😉 It underscores the the ability to be different while being similar – we may have toast; they have a croissant. Bread is bread, but the cultural filter renders our experiences different. …and coffee is the universal elixir upon which this globe spins. 🙂
I am endlessly fascinated by our commonality and individualism. I would agree that we are lucky to be alive to witness this morphing of what it means to be a member of the human race.
Thanks!
Paul o'mAhony
Dec 16, 2009
FAbulous post. Lovely comments. I stop on the street of cork ireland to add my support & thanks from hootsuite iPhone. I had barrys tea for breakfast
Melissa
Dec 16, 2009
This is a fantastic post with a great message. It kind of reminds me of Friedman’s The World is Flat notion, too.
Melissa
Dec 16, 2009
I thought about the sense of community this weekend when I was running in the Thunder Road marathon – and there were all these cars stopped in traffic, and I’m sure about 80% of the drivers were annoyed. I didn’t see them, though – I saw the drivers who rolled down the windows to give high 5s to runners or who were standing on the roof of their cars cheering for us! And after I finished the marathon I checked Twitter and Facebook, where I had people cheering for me from all over the world. It was a beautiful day, globally and locally.
And I haven’t eaten breakfast – dang, I knew I forgot somthing.
edward boches
Dec 16, 2009
Connection isn’t just for the sake of connection. It helps us learn, share, find our voices, inspire action, expand our tribe, and yes, sell stuff (of value) to others. It changes the balance of power from the big to the individual. And it creates new possibilities such as Lemonade the Movie. But it may take cool, creative ideas to get people to want to engage. Or at least cool, worthy behavior that others want to join and support.
Jim Mitchem
Dec 17, 2009
It’s just that it’s the core concept. TV’s core concept is one-way information, but you see what that’s become. 😉
Jim Mitchem
Dec 17, 2009
I often think about what it is I learned in college that has helped shape the person I am today. The most important thing it did was teach me that everything’s connected – everything. Symbiosis is important to everything we do. When we see the connectedness of seemingly unconnected things, we gain clarity. It’s as applicable in SM as it is in recycling waste. It all matters at a basic level.
Jim Mitchem
Dec 17, 2009
Ha! Thank you for stopping by. I friggin’ love how this medium connects us like this. Cork. Wow.
Jim Mitchem
Dec 17, 2009
A couple of people have mentioned The World is Flat with concern to this post. It’s on my bookshelf, unread. I reckon I’ll have to crack it open. Thanks for the comment.
Jim Mitchem
Dec 17, 2009
Someone at a conference once told me, ‘Take what you can use, and leave the rest.’ I’m glad you looked through the annoyed people to the ones that matter. That’s so cool.
And when you do eat breakfast, be sure to let us know what it is. 😉
Jim Mitchem
Dec 17, 2009
Cool ideas. Great content. Compelling dialogue. Basic stuff. Even the cavemen needed to tell a good story to get other cavemen to understand and engage. I love how empowering SM is to the individual. On more than one occasion I’ve used the tools of Social Media to resolve issues with brands that I know damn well I’d never have resolved without SM. Rather, it would have been an endless conversation with a CSA that got nowhere. Thanks for the comment Edward.
My novel – Minor King
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