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
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Marguerite, I think you make some excellent analogies. Change is not easy certainly, and in many cases with technology those that adapt earliest and most effectively will be at a competitive advantage. How to convince employers that these tools are valuable and beneficial to their businesses is not always easy, I think that in time like past technological innovations (PCs, fax, e-mail, internet access), eventually networking tools will simply become ‘standard’. Personally, I think more about convincing individuals that I think would benefit from this information. I enjoyed the post!
Steve, when influencing individuals who would benefit from this information, what have you found most effective because I would think that with your expertise both as an instructor and technology implementation consultant you’ve experienced helping others transition into new technologies.
The answer to your first question would be to let your people know that your main communication tool via the web will be through Twitter, LinkedIn, etc to stay updated so to keep updated they would need to start communicating through Social Media. Also, I have been talking one on one with a lot of my friends who are resistent. A little education goes a long way. The key is to convince them on how little time you need to be on Social Media each day during the week. I usually do my Social Mediaing Monday through Thursday for about 30 minutes each day. General rule of thumb is 15 minutes in the morning, 10 minutes midday and 15-
20 minutes at night reading articles, sharing articles and building your followers. Convince the naysayer that you are not tweeting about what you are eating, what you are doing before bed or just to say Hi, what’s up. People who tweet that nonsense are usually blocked or unfollowed bc they are not contributing meaningul information to the community.
The second question has the same answer – Educate focusing on ease of use and how much they will learn using social media. When I say learn, I mean learn things that are applicable to what they do at every level of the corporate ladder. As I tell everyone I talk to regarding social media, I have learned more in the last 9 months since joining Twitter than I have in the last 5 years. I think it says it all.
My wife is a Luddite, but she’s coming round especially when our daughter and son are tweeting and facebooking all the time. All in good time.
Wanna connect with me? Sign up for a twitter account and look me up. My twitter handle is @superrecruiter. I would also be glad to show you how easy and meaningful this is.
Michael, you are right that Social Media does not have to take that much time, especially if you have a focus. For me it also has been a great learning experience, especially since joining Twitter. Would love to know who you think is truly encouraging employees to use Twitter and LinkedIn as a communication tool.