Does the nature of our communication need to change to maximize social networking opportunities?
Social Networking. All the rage. However, I'm wondering whether Web 2.0 is really something I've termed Relationship 1.0 (See me! Buy from me!) on a new platform.Given the opportunity to connect with people the world over in an instant, would we be best served to focus a little more attention on the kinds of communication--who or how we need to be--that works best on these and other platforms (including face to face).
Social network theories originated in sociology, social psychology and anthropology (imagine that). What, I wonder, would happen if those experts told us whether our use of electronic social networks were really allowing us to create lasting networks with some velocity...and effectiveness (or just ersatz biz and personal connections).
For example one theory talks about social distance--the nature of the comfort zone between people who are identified as different from one another (in terms of, for example, race, gender, nationality, sexual orientation). Are get gaining "muscle" in interacting with people, authentically, across difference on, say, Twitter or are we only connecting with people with whom the distance is less?
Thanks for adding your thoughts to this discussion. Can't wait to see what you all come up with.
Best,
Lalita Amos
Managing Director & Senior Executive Coach
Total Team Solutions, LLC
LLAmos AT TotalTeamSolutions DOT com
@LLAmos
Good Answers (5)
Tyler B
Reporting analyst
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Lalita-
I've always had an issue with the term web 2.0, since it's not as much about the web changing as the way we use it is changing. The recent explosion of social networking online is just another instance of communication media influencing and being influenced by communication.
The Internet has, since its inception, allowed networks to form in the ether of cyberspace, across boundaries political, ethnic, sexual, and otherwise. The concept of the "other" is a very prevalent one in anthropological thought as it governs a large part of identity on the personal level as well as essentially all perceived community membership (family, ethnicity, nationality, soccer club following, whatnot).
The limited (and varying) aspect of anonymity provided by the internet mitigates a lot of these attributes in some cases and completely removes them in others. For example, the concept of racism is a touchy one, but studies have shown subconscious ethnic prejudice in many people (google "subconscious racism" in their scholarly search feature). By removing geography and prejudice we establish a "melting pot" of communication/ideas that is arguably more so than the traditional usage of the term.
"Social media" at its core amounts to another gimmick in the grand scheme of electronic communication. This is not to disparage it or deny its myriad benefits, but it serves essentially as a facilitator of communication on the same kind of technology that's been around since the late 70's, when computer enthusiasts dialed into "bulletin board systems" (BBS). When AOL first started up as an internet service provider, nobody had any conception of instant messaging, but now internet abbreviations such as ROFL (rolling on floor laughing) are making their way into advertisements for big-name firms.
My apologies if this seems a bit disjointed, but there is way more to say on this than the medium of LinkedIn allows. Excellent question, and I look forward to reading the other responses.
Clarification added 7 months ago:
I think that the cyberspace frontier is going to display characteristics of many previous frontiers, and I wouldn't be surprised if we find parallels to the advent of cinema, telephone, television, telegraph, or even the Western US during the 19th century. For example, the landscape is remarkably different in many ways, such as regulation. 15 years ago there were no laws against preventing children under 13 from signing up for sites, and there was essentially nothing preventing child pornography from spreading, whereas now there is a large amount of legislation (in the US at least) in place to help protect children on the Web and lock up the bad guys.
On the other side, there is a much larger propensity for criminal and/or unethical forces to violate privacy, either through enabling/participating in identity theft or forming invasive profiles of online activity/spending habits.
The remarkable thing though is that the net is a continuously revitalizing frontier. Filesharing services such as Napster turned the RIAA and the music business on its head (and later the MPAA and movies) years after online denizenship became popular. In 2004 and our most recent election, we've seen the internet as tool for political action explode as well.
I think the most important thing is that everyone currently connected (which seems to be the vast majority of the developed world) constantly evaluates their relationship to the various media that affect them and allow them to contribute to the world. If we lose sight of that, we lose sight of ourselves. One example is, in fact, the hype around social networking. A lot of it is incredibly overblown because we look at this capability and see what we want it to be (i.e. a powerful tool that will get us in contact with all the people we want to talk to regarding a job/business deal/etc). In this, people often overlook the practical limitations as well as the ethical/moral ones. I'll leave it at that or I'll never get home tonight! I hope this has helped.
Terry (
Social Media Manager, Networking Trainer, Recruiter www.Job-Spot-Seattle.com
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Hi Lalita,
I'm an avid social networker and greatly enjoy the opportunity to communicate with diverse numbers of professionals across the world over the course of just one day.
That being said, I think its important to suppliment online social networking with in-person networking as regularly as possible.
There's much to be said about "body language" that can't be seen or considered when interacting with people online.
Hope that helps!
As Always, Happy Networking!
-Terry Hall (terry_hall on Twitter)
Owner & Founder
Job Spot Seattle
WoVEN; Women Veterans Empowerment Network
http://job-spot-seattle.blogspot.com/
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http://www.linkedin.com/groupRegistration?gid=978307
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In my opinion social networking is somewhat counter-intuitive to the purpose of marketing, and I want to create a stark dichotomy right away. The principle behind Web 2.0 that makes it so attractive to advertisers is its advanced interactivity, but never forget that your customer ultimately has the power to navigate elsewhere or close their browser -- you cannot steer their actions, only be intuitive to them.
The idea of marketing is to communicate a message of brand or product to an otherwise anonymous audience; conversely, social networking is an interaction of people who "know" each other even when that knowing is in the loosest sense possible.
I believe the two can be used together but not seemlessly and they are not mutually exclusive. You cannot use social networking platforms to communicate with an anonymous customer because it is that person who determines the nature of the interaction (not the marketing type behind the web app). Your marketing must lure the customer into a "relationship", then you may develop that relationship through social networking. Again, the customer determines the nature of that relationship and the interaction.
It's a round-about way to get to my answer. Do you need to change to maximize social networking? No, not if we understand social-networking can act as a stand-in for face-to-face when hand-selling is the best way to mediate a sale. But if you use social-networking to interact with an anonymous customer, you're not only wasting time and resources, you're also coming off as ingenuine.
Michele G
Director, Measurement & Analytics at One to One Interactive
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I actually think that the communication needs to change when using social media. It is true that the customer can turn away at any point, as they do today, but it is not the medium it is the relevancy of topic. Social media has power to encourage exchange and dialogue rather than simply pushing a message.
The bigger issue is that I don't think that all products can leverage social media in the same way. Not all options (blogging, networks, twitter, etc) make sense. It depends on what you want to achieve and what is the best mechanism to engage. Additionally, you need to know what you want to talk about. No one is interested in a boring conversation or interaction.
I happen to agree with your perspective about Web 2.0 vs. Relationship 1.0. Social media has been around, just in different aspects. We only now have a lexicon for it.
If you are interested, I wrote on this a bit earlier in the month. I've attached the link.
Links:
Gianluigi C
Consultant @ Traffic4u ★ Marketing Strategist @ Agora Media Group
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Hello Lalita,
I think actually it is the other way around, because human characteristics are the way they are, is the basis of the success of social networks.
It can be fine-tuned, no doubt about that (but that is on a lower level), but fundamentals like the necessity to share information to 'survive', the urge to share when information is widely not available are what humans make and interact.
Best regards,
Gianluigi Cuccureddu
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Nelson B
Vice President at Interchanges.com
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I think the communication on niche social networks is especially interesting. It has been impressive to see how willing people are to sharing information and helping one another on www.insocialmedia.com
Compare that to the days back when SEO and PPC was so "behind the curtain" and you will realize how much more open the communication channels have become. This, I think, is the reason "Social Media" is growing so rapidly in the marketplace. Now, if we could just predict how something will spread virally.... ;) oh wait. We can...
Regards,
Nelson Bruton
