When something is so new and different that it forces us to change the way we live, communicate or work, it becomes a trans formative innovation. I believe that Twitter and new technologies to follow will disrupt the way the majority communicates and works. The Luddites do not believe so at this time. I confess that I did not know what a Luddite meant. It describes a person who is against a technological change. On Business Week’s BTW section , Ellen Gibson shares that the telegraph, the telephone, and even the typewriter were resisted by Luddites of that time.
Frank Lloyd Wright also encountered resistance for something that most of us take for granted, the open floor plan that most living spaces have today. Over 100 years ago when he came up with this innovation it was unlike anything people had seen before. They found his work offensive. His clients had to be visionary in order to understand his approach. What to us seems so basic, a living room, dining room, and study (or kitchen) flowing together in a single space with a central fireplace was foreign to most people 100 years ago.
I wonder when will Twitter or something like it become so common that people completely accept and embrace this new form of communicating and exchanging ideas. In Guy Kawasaki’s blog, Scot Berkun is interviewed and says that every wave of innovation has been much slower that we are told. I believe that most people have a hard time with change because it’s uncomfortable. People who lived in Frank Lloyd Wright’s houses said that their life was changed by the design of the space. The open floor plan changed the way people interacted with each other. Twitter is changing the way we interact with each other. For me, it took a little bit of adjustment to learn its non linear approach to communicating. I’m still learning and hope to get better in time. I’m glad I’m not a Luddite and neither were the people who enjoyed the open floor plan 100 years ago.
Your Insights and Thoughts
- How can we influence over 50% of employers who forbid the use of Twitter and other social media to embrace this new form of communication?
- How do we deal with Luddites who have a hard time with new innovations such as Twitter?
Photo Credits lumierefl
