Kaihan Krippendorff pretty much nails it in his Fast Company article,'Social Media Does More Than Support Revolutions'. A quick summary from his article:
1. Speed: Do in three seconds what took Paul Revere two hours.
2. Syndication: Multiply your odds of reaching the people who share your beliefs.
3. Integrity: More easily share your message without distortion.
4. Transparency: Show the world you are not alone, there is a movement, there are people who also want change.
While there are social media folk out there claiming that the ousting of Mubarak in Egypt was solely done through social media - disregarding the fact that the revolution did not happen because of Twitter and Facebook - they're wrong. The Egyptian people were demonstrably unhappy with the way things were. What can be said is that the revolution was made simpler because of social media because of the potential of social media to pass along messages that carry a meaning others gravitate to. As someone once wrote, revolution doesn't create democracy. Democracy creates revolution.The seeds of democracy have to exist beforehand.
Social media did play a part. It united people with a common purpose, with a common concern. It was that common concern - that common message - that really made the ousting of a dictator happen. Whether that continues in Egypt or not is really up to the Egyptian people.
But what does it mean to you? It depends on your own concerns. Maybe you have an over-enlarged duty gland that requires you to save the world every chance you get. Social media is great for that.
Social media is also great for businesses, too, if the businesses have a service or product that can stand public criticism and can captivate an audience. Marketers can sell just about anything - and they do - but while social media can help with that, the bottom line is that social media has the potential for an individual, non-profit or business to reach a larger audience. Marketers can craft messages that make the social media more sticky.
But all of that only spreads the word. You have to have a product or service first - just like Egypt already had the revolution that ousted the dictator. Your product or service is supposed to be the revolution. Social media simply makes it more visible.
Innovate first.
And a belated congratulations to the People of Egypt.
