A couple of days ago, enjoying a beautiful winters day on the edge of a quiet oval, I had a bit of an epiphany.
I had been receiving tweets on my new twitter account for something like a month, and blogging for a little longer. This great tide of information had been washing over me, but had kind of felt like somebody else's conversation.
Until Wednesday, with the sun warming my back. It was then that I finally realised the true value of social media. And this is that there is an almost bottomless wisdom and intelligence in social media - be it twitter, facebook, blogging, whatever.
Of course, there is also limitless inanity, but that's the easy bit. Just ignore that. The fear is not tapping in to some vapid stream of consciousness, but rather missing pearls of wisdom.
My realisation was that social media gives you access to a million minds, each turning over similar questions in wholly unexpected ways. Many writing blogs of immense value, the sort of blog that you would truly cherish in a book, challenging your thinking. indeed forcing you to think.
Then there's the more instrumental observation. There are a whole heap of people who blog, tweet AND run businesses in waste all around the world. And they are invariably doing something that is really interesting and deserves adaption for local markets. There is a lot to learn, digest, turn around.
Social media, in short, makes you realise that the world is quite a bit larger than Perth, Western Australia. That the ideas are not limited to that which circulates around this goldfish bowl. That you can learn without cease. I had not felt this for many years.
I also realised that social media goes further than being a kind of uber-library. It holds the possibility of fundamentally changing the way we are.
Critics will write of how these changes are for the worse. A lack of attention, inability to express complex thoughts, confinement to an echo chamber of peers and so on. Of course this is possible.
But equally possible is a remarkable deepening of humanity. I see this with the personal branding described by Trevor Young in his book "The Micro Maven Manifesto". I see it in the annual report prepared by Jonathan Fields. I see it in the flowering of individual expression, each working toward the more perfect fulfillment of their self. A person can finally be all the different people he/she really is. People no longer need to give simple answers to "What are you?"
I realise that is naff, but I find it immense. To be able to be authentic and find people prepared to listen is humbling. To be able to work hard, knowing that the work you are creating is forming a part of the world EXACTLY as you want it, not mediated through the lens of an employer, is empowering. And for this opportunity to be available to so many is truly incredible, creating a rich ecosystem in which many can find their own niche.
This was my epiphany. A realisation that there is a vast library of work just waiting to be found, and a whole host of people helping me to find it. A realisation that I am in the perfect place at the perfect time. A realisation that all of the hopes and dreams which have been (poorly) bottled up inside my brain can be free.
There is no need to pretend any more. Garbologie is just the beginning.
It can be quite scary when that happens, suddenly everything changes, and you have to question your perception of reality. I recommend a aspirin and a good night of sleep. But seriously.. It is symptomatic if developing a wider viewpoint. The topic of mavens has been around for a while. It also affects the concept of degrees of separation. Mavens act as connectors between social circles. What the Internet has done, is exponentially increased this effect, making the world a very interconnected skien. This is also covered in the book " tipping point."
ReplyDeleteSo, when did you realize you are a maven, and what do you plan to do about it?
Hmm. I'm not sure I see myself as a maven just yet. It's one thing to see the possibility, and another altogether to put yourself there. It is where I want to end up, so all I can do is try to keep sharing information. This is an ongoing navigation. It's a matter of working it whilst keeping everything under control. There is the real possibility that your life disappears into a desperate quest for popularity in the fickle world of social media.
ReplyDeleteAs always, a few days have placed it all in a new context, though the epiphany remains.
You are so sharp witted and sensible! Specifically, this, what you said, made me smile and nod my head in agreement:
Delete"There is the real possibility that your life disappears into a desperate quest for popularity in the fickle world of social media."
As long as you are aware of that, and can avoid the distraction and temptation of it, you will be fine. It is easier said than done though.
Be wary of experts, and never doubt your own knowledge! Being polite and receptive is good, which you seem to be. Always confirm credentials of people who make claims to such. Credentials and certifications don't make someone an expert, nor even particularly useful. Those who claim to be licensed or certified, but aren't (as I seem to find, too often) is what I find most troubling about social media.
Sometimes you'll run across an uncommonly wise, helpful person who knows all about a topic of interest to you. Then later on, you'll discover that he or she has written a book on the subject, is a university professor, or other respected authority, though modest and understated. That is such a delight, and it does happen on occasion!
Wow, thank you Ellie! I really appreciate the comments and guidance. The social media thing sometimes feels like a really wild marketplace where there are all sorts of crazy hustlers passing off as normal people (and normal people passing as crazy hustlers).
DeleteI'm hoping that I can retain a little touch of skepticism to filter these out, but like it that I don't do that too much. I must confess that I had to do a major refocus shortly after this post, and pare my followings back to a sane level. I felt I was trying to soak up a universe of information and my head was in the process of ex(im)ploding.
Thanks again for the kind comments. I would like to remain in touch.