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Social media?

Many of my posts so far have hinted at a phenomenon that has increased pace of change in the world leading many to wonder often doubtfully about it’s role in day to day life. Much of the doubt comes from those who are mystified by technology and can’t imagine how technology can help them. Since the phenomenon I am talking about is technology based but it is and will effect the way we live our lives far more than we can imagine now. Technology and specifically the web has been seen in the not to distant past as an isolating influence on our culture, causing us to lose touch with the world around us as our intimate circle of friends shrinks. There have been fears of a growing social alienation especially in the iGeneration as we have tried to understand the meaning of Facebook, MySpace etc. Not even a year ago I really didn’t see the point of Facebook but that has changed.

Starting to converse

Of course the phenomenon I am talking about is Social Media. A recent article in the NY Times by Clive Thompson discloses the true nature and value of Social Media both to our relationships and to our businesses. It also hints at the role it can play in creating community…something we collectively seem to be longing for. Joseph Jaffe in his book Join the Conversation talks about the changes in the marketing world that are occuring as the result of Social Media/networking especially as it has hastened the demise of advertising as we used to know it an event which has long been over due.

Isolation moves to connection

Before I go into how all this should concern us as artists let me continue with the thread brought up by Thompson’s article and Jaffe’s book by brining in another player t he guy who pretty much star ted it all, Mark Zuckerberg the college student behind Facebook. You see a couple of years after he launched it he realized it’s major problem was the time it required for users to stay up to date with their friends…so he set out to fix it. Overnight, he set up what has come to be called the news feed that works very much like RSS subscriptions permitting friends to basically “subscribe” to each other’s updates. The next morning saw a major revolt when users began logging on to their Facebook pages. They flooded Zuckerberg with e-mails wanting the old system back. But Zuckerberg knew his audience well within a couple of days everyone was happy. The primary point of contention was much the same as today when non- social media users as”why would I want to know every time Joe eats a sandwich and what kind he is eating?” or “why should I care if he broke up with his latest girlfriend?” Well it turns out that they ultimately did want to know those tidbits and they found that knowing them created a different level of knowing their friends…kind of like having them in the same room.

Ambient intimacy at work

Ambient Intimacy

What they were experiencing was something social scientists have called ” ambient intimacy” it is in essence similar to the feeling of closeness we have when we sit across the room from someone and watch their quirky mumblings, or gestures. Individually such actions have little meaning but lumped together over time they start adding up to a description of the person’s mood, their inner workings. If you are an unabashed people watcher you know what I mean! Friends found themselves much closer when they met because the time distance had shrunk, they were able to converse as if they had just seen each other…in short they knew more about what was occurring in each other lives and how it effected them.

Facebook,Twitter and the tools for conversation

Facebook is no longer the only game in town, last year Twitter broke the surface followed closely by Friend feed. Both of these services offered one thing, a way to stay in touch a way to be closer to each other yet remain far away. Both services are what has become know as “micro-blogs” limited by the amount of text that can be written they have become a way for people in a particular circle to stay in touch and more importantly to widen that circle or have different circles for different levels of acquaintance.

So last year when I found out about Twitter I joined but really didn’t get it until the last few months. Coupled with my Facebook toolbar for Firefox I now get regular little blurbs that pop up on the bottom of my screen whenever one of the people I am connected with has something to say. That very action has allowed me to get to know what used to be pretty close to complete strangers. As a result, I have several potential partners for workshops or seminars each having a strong skill I am lacking in. I hinted above about communities, again this is one of the things social scientists have found occuring more and more as a result of staying connected with each other. And these communities are no longer limited by geography. Families like mine that are spread across the globe can stay connected and in each others lives much better than an hour phone call every couple of months.

Artists Twitter?

So…how does this help us as artists? Well, in a nutshell it provides us with tools we didn’t have available even as recent as a year ago. Furthermore, it has along with Tivo has played a major role in the demise of traditional advertising. It has essentially changed the way we can help our clients and patrons by giving us the means to develop and maintain conversations that are based on a many-to-many model instead of a one -to-many model. It has empowered our clients and patrons to converse with us and us with them around what we offer and how we deliver it, it allows us to focus more on them and them on us. As a result, artists can develop networks of clients/patrons everywhere they go and they can stay in each others minds so when an artist travels to an art fair their local follows know to show up and also know what treasures await them.

For the fearful these tools are a threat because they nag at their self esteem, bringing judgmental demons, but they also remind us that our success ultimately depends on us and our ability to adapt and grow. An example of the strength of these networks happened to me last week someone on my Twitter feed saw one of my posts and commented on it…the world is indeed changing as it shrinks the revolution is here and we are it!

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Part 1: The iGeneration revolution

There is change in the air, change that is shaking up the way we see and live in our world, everywhere I go the early adaptors are seeing and feeling it. They feel it in the market place they feel it in the political arena and they feel it in their hearts. While some have been quick to adapt others are proceeding slowly and many others are letting fear blind them.

Old networks new life

The fundamental basis for this change is the continual openings for interaction and conversation brought by the internet. As recent as two years ago or in many cases a year ago interactive choices were still limited, and available choices to expand our networks, to find the products that fit our needs, were just beginning to be available. Facebook, and MySpace were not seen as anything else than a place for kids, the concept of a “Social Network” was just beginning to take shape.

As I write this everything is changing almost by the day. Facebook in particular has become THE place to network, blogs are replacing or at the least complimenting static web sites. Mini-blogs like Twitter linked together through RSS feeds provide real time ways to stay connected with our own network. Old school one way advertising and marketing is almost dead replaced by interactive realtime conversations.

Ageless iGeneration re-combining and creating

These changes have all been spurred by what has been called the iGeneration, initially thought to be limited to the twenty and 30 somethings who cut their teeth on computers and the internet. Their digital literacy opened the doors of curiosity and while we were saying that the web would result in greater isolation they were busy discovering new and faster ways to become connected. They taught us faster ways to find and get information…reliable information. As result consumers now use the web to do comparative product research to make their buying decisions. The mass market approach to commerce is all but dead replaced by an ever increasing ability to find the perfect buyer and to retain that buyer by building a relationship with her through two way conversation and community building. Consequently, the iGeneration can be defined as anyone of any age who recognizes and uses the new interactivity to create and maintain connections, to start and continue conversations

So what does all of this have to do with Art? It has everything because failure to adapt to these changes by hanging on to outmoded beliefs will lead to a disappearance of art as we know it. Art as a cultural lens, as a source of renewal and inspiration, as a source of passion and sharing could change forever. On the other hand, recognition and embrace of this evolution could raise the role of art in our culture to new heights by uncovering new ways for artists to thrive and share their art.

In short the changes brought about the iGeneration are:

Personal connection is highly valued
Many to many conversation is valued over one or two way communication
Community is valued as a way of enhancing mouth to mouth product research
Locally made and sold goods will hold a higher position than non-local goods
Environmentally friendly goods and production methods will be a deciding criteria
Businesses will need to demonstrate social consciousness
There must be multiple ways of doing business
While price point will be important the buying decision will be based more on connection and value than on price.