Aug
27

The Fishbowl Is Killing Us: Why Social Media Must Evolve or Die

Lately, I’ve been lamenting the lack of true iconoclasts in social media.  But I’ve also admitted that I may be expecting too much. Just because the tools we use to communicate with each other have changed, it doesn’t mean that everyone suddenly has something revolutionary to say; it just means we now have more immediate ways to say the same mundane things.

In fact, the culture of social media itself might actually prevent innovation.

Of Course You’re Deaf; You’ve Been Yelling Inside the Echo Chamber for Years

In a recent blog post, fellow armchair sociologist Steve Spalding parallels my train of thought by detailing the hypocrisy of independent thought: we all claim to revere it, yet few of us produce it and most of us ostracize it when we do find it.

Given those habits, it’s no wonder social media has become one giant echo chamber that’s unable (or unwilling) to ignite a larger cultural impact. In its brief existence, the social media fishbowl has developed an internal hierarchy consisting of “A-List bloggers” and “key influencers” whom everyone else chases after, hoping to ensnare their attention just long enough to be deemed worthy of a larger audience themselves.

And yet the extent of this group’s influence is confined to the minutiae of the tools we all use; rarely does anyone considered to be a social media “thought leader” find traction beyond the twin borders of technology and marketing. In this sense, the entire field seems less a hotbed of disruptive rabble-rousing than a motley parade of carpenters, all passionately searching out new and innovative ways to use a hammer.

Which leaves those of us hoping to see a true seismic shift in the way the world works waiting impatiently for a few brave social media practitioners to look past the safe, secluded confines of their bassinets and venture out in search of new and skeptical audiences who don’t simply smile and nod. That day is inevitable; the fishbowl can only hold so many of us in before it cracks.

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Posted by Justin Social Media, Sociology Subscribe to RSS feed
  • One thing John Carman and DJ G brought up re: PodCamp Pittsburgh, at least, is the absence of anyone who actually *does* anything with the knowledge they receive. Yes, people take away knowledge about social networking, blogging, etc., but for an event that originally sought to link like-minded content producers, there are precious few literal producers out there. Who knew the original PodCamp was an anomaly of early adopters, rather than the spark that would start a movement?
  • Where PodCamp fails is that we haven't figured out the right way to SET FIRE to people to force them out of the nest. We want them to re-embed in the "real" world, not hang out with us losers.

    Man. I don't have an answer. I'm just riled up a bit.
  • Justin,
    I think you make a very good point. However, I wonder if the social web at large "gets" that we are at the edge of a massive social change made possible by these tools. It seems that there are a few who talk in terms of these winds of change (Brian Solis, Chris Brogan, David Meerman Scott, Robert Scoble etc). However, the sheer scope of what the average human tied to a computer can now do is unfathomable to most people, I think.
    I liken it to man's first use of fire. Sure it made meat taste better and helped keep early humanoids warm, but could those beings even begin to comprehend that fire would one day allow metals to be forged (which in turn would lead to machines? Of course not.
    I think you may be expecting, or hoping for, too much too quickly. In this day and age of rapid change we've come to expect a lot of things to happen quickly. I would argue that truly innovative thinking enhanced by the social web is a developing skill in us humans. It requires new ways of using the tools that are not completely understood(yet)and it requires a lot of experimentation, lots of failures and a few notable successes (which we are begining to see).
    I'm excited about the future and, like you, a little frustrated about looking at the fish bowl. I guess my optimism lies in knowinbg that the little goldfish inside that fish bowl right now will one day grow into something much, much bigger.
    Thanks for the stimulating post.
  • My comment is too dangerous to post here.
  • I think this is true when you have the same fishbowl talking to itself constantly. However, when someone steps outside of their own bowl and starts building an independent audience, with a hobby or special interest. Then your critique isn't relevant until that new audience/group starts to tweet/blog to each other in the new fishbowl.

    My point is that these tools are revolutionary because they give the common man a chance to reach an audience where 10 years ago you had to work a lot harder for it.
  • For what it's worth (if anything), I generally don't try to impress anyone in particular on Twitter. While I do respect certain twits' opinions and appreciate their agreement, I'm no sycophant. I don't chase after "A-listers", hoping for some crumbs of notoriety to fall from their tables. The audience I have has been built slowly through genuine attempts at dialog, constructive argument, and simple friendliness. I endeavor to say or RT interesting things because I want to hear interesting thoughts from other people. Am I still in the echo chamber, or am I a bit of a rebel? I suppose that depends on the follow lists of the beholders. ;)
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