The New York Times book review recently had a piece on a new book called “The Net Delusion” by Evgeny Morozov. It examines both sides of the Social Media/Internet revolution. The author points out that the mainstream media have been crawling all over each other to extol Twitter and Facebook, daring not to be un-hip. It’s clearly empowered humans with the means to broadcast to millions in hours. That is indeed a media revolution.
But not an idea, a spirit revolution, or any kind of a human nature revolution. People didn’t risk their lives in the Egyptian miracle for Twitter. They did it because they were humiliated, hungry and afraid, done with tyranny. Katie Couric quoted someone on the news saying: “The Internet doesn’t create courage. It only spreads it.” Beautiful Micro-Script.
For anyone trying to communicate anything today–lets take a brand message, or a selling idea for instance–the take-away is Social Media doesn’t create a promise, an inspiration, a difference in the mind of a prospect, or an identity. It only spreads it.
Your job one is still to create that promise, that inspiration, that difference, that unique identity. Then spread it.
Don’t be fooled or confused by marketing interests trying to tell you that “joining the conversation” and doing SEO by itself is the key to marketing. It’s real important. But it’s the body. Not the head. And no matter how good technology gets, that’s a part we (and our messages) will never be much good without.