Rebecca Thorman: Social Media doesn't Create New Generation Leaders

We have a deep desire to feel that rise in our chests, the quickening of our breath, the spread of a smile.

Generation Y wants to change the world.

Not the environment. Not healthcare. Not education. Not poverty. Not racism. Not sexism. Not war. Not cancer. Not anything, really.

Just the world.

We want to change the world.

And in wanting so much, we get so little.

Restlessness courses through our veins, for we are never doing enough or being enough. Volunteering, leadership, and entrepreneurship, nor the eventual acceptance of the mundane satisfies our edge. 

And there's a majority of us who just sit back. We sit back, content to lead mediocre lives. To never step out. To work, to love, to lead good lives. To lead good lives, but not extraordinary.

Who among us will lead an extraordinary life? Who will be the leader who steps out on an issue? Who is strong enough in their beliefs and convictions to not only sell their Volvo for a hybrid, but to tell the world about it and get others to do the same? Who will stand up for the horror and revulsion that plagues our world today?

Because the warmth from our laptop screens does little but light our idle faces.

Who will be loud enough? Who will scream?

There's an acceptance that it will all get done. And social media will help us do it. This idea that we can bring groups together over the internet through blogging and Facebooking, and that it will create significant change is ridiculous. It's hiring a gardener for the privilege of missing the sensation of earth between your fingers.

It is powerful, this online community.

But it is not enough.

In finding so many ways to communicate, we are communicating less and less in a way that is valuable and meaningful.

Like the placement of a candle in a window was once long ago, social media is merely an instrument.  You still have to show up.

You still have to get dirty.

Sam Davidson tells a good fisherman story about a man that finds another man fishing and explains to him that if he catches many fish, well then he could eventually buy a boat. He could then catch many more fish, and could buy another boat, and another and another until he had a whole fleet of boats. And he would sure catch a lot of fish then, and with all of that he could then do whatever he wanted. 

And the man replies, "You mean, fish?"

So it goes with social media. There is a man talking to another woman in a coffee shop. He says to her "you know if we stalked each other on Facebook and cuffed ourselves to our crackberries and twittered it up, we could communicate, and reach out to each other, and have great conversations, and you know, change things!"

And the woman replies, "You mean, like right now?"

We've created social media for the privilege of missing the look from someone across the table, face to face, secret to secret, ambition to ambition. We create online communities that secure our quasi-anonymous lives, and moan about not being able to connect with someone.

When all we really have to do is simply say, "Hello."

Don't get me wrong. Facebook is great for all the reasons people say it's great. But when you focus on how a tool can change the world, instead of the cause itself, you mitigate the importance of taking action.

The amount of effort we put into our relationships is what will create change, not the amount of effort we put into building and maintaining the printing press, the telephone, the television, or the better, more collaborative, more inclusive web.

We have to show up, face to face. Our actions, not the means - technological or not – propel change. Our effort makes the difference. 

It will be quite easy, really. If only we paid attention to the rise in our chests, the quickening of our breath, the smile spreading on our face.

Rebecca Thorman is the Executive Director of MAGNET and writes at Modite.

Comments

[Jason Falls]

Excellent essay on the value of what I call networking socially (off-line) as opposed to social networking (on-line). I've always thought cyber relationships were a little superficial and ultimately unproductive. Sure, there can be connection and learning, but the real enrichment comes from human interaction.

Thanks for picking this particular topic to guest post. Well done!

[Jarrod]

Jason, I agree. The intention of most online social networking may be to create communities, but the result is usually a passing along of trivial information rather than meaningful communication.

Technology is a tool, but as this article says, we're losing focus on the real issues that need our personal attention.

[Rebecca Thorman]

@ Jason - Thank you for your kind comments. I agree, obviously. I've always thought that social media helps me connect with someone, but the connection is always enhanced and solidified when I meet someone in person.

@ Jarrod - Absolutely. I think that social networking can pass along meaningful information at times, but people don't act on it. We need to build communities in the real-world to create real change. Thank you.

[Dan Schawbel]

Happy to have a blog post next to my good friend and editor Rebecca :)

Great thoughts as we enter in the new year. COMPANIES TAKE NOTICE!

[Ryan Karpeles]

Great article Rebecca. Reminds me of that famous Ghandi quote... "You must be the change you wish to see in the world."

Just curious - do you think social media is powerless when it comes to creating meaningful change in this world?

Personally, I think this space can advance people, communities, relationships, causes, beliefs and just about anything else. I'm not saying it's a panacea, or that it's where we should spend 100% (or even 30%) of our time. But I do believe it has enormous potential.

I've seen it change my life and the lives of others. And that's where real change starts. In the hearts of individuals.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not advocating the tools over the cause. But I do want to highlight the power that these tools really have if used properly. Heck, they're even allowing us to advance our thinking about this topic as we speak (or type, I guess)...

What are your thoughts? Have you seen positive change through this space? Or are we simply wasting our time, when we could be out in the 'real world' making a difference?

[Sam Davidson]

This is a GREAT post (and not just because I'm quoted in it). The biggest danger of online communities is that they give the allusion of real community and action while possibly doing very little in both arenas.

The challenge is to make sure online and technological communities and tools remains means and not ends. There is a fine line between utility and idolatry.

[Rebecca Thorman]

@ Dan - thank you for your support. :)

@ Ryan - Thank you for your thoughtful and kind comment. I don't think that social media is powerless, but rather we are using it as an excuse not to do more. And I believe that as enlightening and interesting as this conversation is with you on this comment board, I'm doubtful that you will go out and make significant change as a result. Because we need to be humanly touched for that to happen, and social media, however much community it builds, is cold. Social media lacks the responsibility and accountability that the real world does.

It has potential, yes. And I'm not saying it hasn't impacted my life. Social media has impacted my life in the same way that reading a really good book does. There are times that I make change as a result, but true change comes about from meaningful relationships.

Finally, I think you make a good point - the tools can be great if we use them properly. I don't think we are using social media properly to create significant change, and we've already set our habits in how we do use it, which will be difficult, if not impossible to change. And so we can wait until the next technological advance comes (web 5.0?) to help us, or we can just get down to the real work. The vehicles we have to create change have great potential, yes, but we need not wait. We can start changing the world right now. What do you think?

@ Sam - Great point and well said. The illusion that we're creating is probably the most dangerous. We feel as though people and our communities are being helped, but it's just scratching the surface. Thanks for being a constant inspiration.

[Ryan Karpeles]

@Rebecca - Thank you. Lots of juicy points in there ;-)

First, I agree that we might be using social media as an excuse to not do more. But that's more about attitude than facts. If you want to use this medium for change, you can. If you let it cloud your ability to create tangible progress, then yes, it is a hindrance.

Second, you said that social media "is cold." I would vehemently disagree with that. Case in point - the Frozen Pea Fund (http://tinyurl.com/2ydg6n) - a cause that started *purely* through social media and touched the lives of hundreds of people, especially one woman in particular.

(If you don't have time to click through, it's the story of Susan Reynolds, a woman with breast cancer, who has been passionately supported by bloggers, Twitters, Facebookers and just about everyone you can imagine in this space. In the first 15 hours alone of launching the site, we were able to raise $3,500 to fight breast cancer. And literally everything took place via social media. That's not exactly the sign of a 'cold' community that lacks responsibility and accountability.)

For the record, I don't want to turn this in to a heated debate, but I do want to espouse some myths about the perceived impotence of social media. These are real human beings who care about each other, and SM has allowed them to connect and share across boundaries of time, distance, age and whatever else. I guess it just all goes back to the issue of "how you use it."

If you treat this space as a backstage environment full of mindless pontificating and smalltalk, then sure, your progress will likely be stifled. But if you recognize its potential, harness it, and use it for good - you can truly have an impact on your life and the lives of those around you.

Sorry for the lengthy comment.

[Rebecca Thorman]

Hi Ryan - those are all great points. (I have been following the frozen pea phenomenon. As I said, social media and the resulting community is powerful. But it's not enough.
Obviously, I love social media since I'm a blogger, and I adore my community of commenters and those who email me, etc. And I believe that I am helping people and changing things, or I wouldn't blog.

But.

You need people to show up to create significant change. You need to build relationships in person. Social media creates change. That's obvious. But what level of change are you willing to settle for? And you can use social media as a tool to create more, but eventually you have to reach out and touch someone, physically, be in the same room! That simple gesture will create ten times more change. Just my estimate ;)

[Ryan Karpeles]

I agree, Rebecca. There's probably a threshold to the amount (and significance) of change that can take place here. But who knows? We're only at the tip of the iceberg (social media is less than a decade old).

I guess my point is that we can't completely discount social media as an agent of change. It might not end world hunger, but it can certainly contribute to the cause (see: http://www.freerice.com/). And it might not bring peace on earth, but it can definitely bring us together in an effort to better the world we live in.

In essence, this space can act as a platform for large-scale change. It might only be the first rung on the ladder, but it's a very important rung nevertheless. You can't reach the top without a solid starting point.

Thank you for raising this issue, and thanks for continuing the conversation ;-)

[C. Weng]

This is all very true. People like contributing to what's going on around them, not just simply intaking information. Social networks capture the power of this perfectly. On the giant successful websites of Youtube, Digg, and Facebook, individuals have voices. I have written a book on how a user can maximize the influence he has by viewing these sites as games. It is available as a free e-book at http://www.lulu.com/content/1269306.

[Joe Raasch]

Hi Rebecca,

You've chosen a great topic for this space. It is the 900lb gorilla in the room no one talks about.

Most IT systems, be they social media as mentioned or Oracle ERP systems, PeopleSoft performance management systems, or Outlook - were developed to support people and their interactions. They were not designed to be the interaction. This misnomer is a significant driver for why big consulting firms are hired as 'integrators' for systems changes. If people focused on each other and their work, the change in the supporting system wouldn't be that big of a deal.

Social media should be used for good: as a catalyst for people getting together in person - than for evil: being the only connection people have.

Cheers,
Joe

[Valeria Maltoni]

Wow, this is a gift, thank you all. What a lively conversation!

@Rebecca -- thank you for igniting a very lively conversation. I look forward to an opportunity to meet face to face and while the occasion presents itself to mobilize to be of service to you in any way.

@C. Weng -- that is quite an interesting eBook. Thank you for sharing and for participating.

@Joe -- so when are you traveling to Philadelphia ;-) I just came back from meeting two of my favorite Italian bloggers in Rome and will be meeting a very important marketing blog community voice in Italy on New Year's Eve. In person and in project has tremendous power to start showing the way to those who wax skeptical about social media.

[Dayngr]

Great post, though I'm going to have to disagree with you. I think new media and social networks ARE creating new generation leaders. I also think that they are allowing us to connect with more and more people that we otherwise would not have known about. Through social networking and new media we are making great strides in making a difference and changing the world one step (and one person) at a time. One specific example already given was the Frozen Pea Fun but there are so many more. (also see: @MailOurMilitary on twitter)

I don't have to sit across the table from someone who lives 3500 miles from me to get involved in their life or their cause. I can send a card, dial their number, utter a word of encouragement, etc.

You don't have to show up in person to make a significant difference. You just have to get involved.

[Valeria Maltoni]

Thank you for taking the time to introduce your thinking, Trish. What I have seen so far of your blog is very inspirational, I'll be back.

I am a bit torn about involvement via social media. On one hand I recognize that, as you say here, there are many opportunities to join in from miles away. On the other, I do wonder if the insulation of the online medium is perhaps giving many reasons not to mobilize more locally, in the in person community.

[Rosie Sherry]

My saying is: The internet has been great for global communities and learning from great thinkers, however the consequences have been we have forgotten about our neighbours.

It's a shame, however I do believe there will be a greater balance in the future between on and offline relationships.

[Valeria Maltoni]

It is easy to become enamored with new ways of thinking and doing things, and especially new tools. Yet, until we try them on, we won't know if they work for us -- so we must.

Did we really pay attention to our neighbors more before? Some of us probably did, others did not. And it's possible that that very same nature is carried over online.

Nonetheless, caring and doing good should not go out of fashion at any point in time. The answer, as with most things in life, I suspect lies somewhere in between.