The social media revolution

The Social Media Revolution(post-Gutenberg revolution)

The Social Media Revolution

Understanding the Social Media Revolution

ANDIts impact on the world

as we know itAND

Working out what to do about it

In 20 Minutes

You may have thought social media was this…

And stuff with logos like this…

The strange reflecty thing

YouTube red

RSS “homage” orange

“That”green Flickr blue

What’s with the beta?

Beta = same as saying

Well…

you were right

These are today’s face of social media

But they are not its beating heart

The beating heart of social media and why it truly deserves to be called a revolution is very simple

Separation

Content Means of distribution

Why is this so important?

1439

Tedious captureNo Distribution

What did this mean for society?

Religion Feudal monarchies

Control via stories Control via hierarchy

Then came Gutenberg

He gave content a means of distribution

Which in turn created …The Renaissance Science Mass culture

The Enlightenment Mass democracy The media

But more than this, Gutenberg cemented a

marriage between content and distribution

And distribution was the dominant partner in this

relationship

Think about it … content surrendered its name and became

known only by its means of distribution (newspaper article, radio programme, TV show etc)

Welcome to the post-Gutenberg World

Mass information distribution costs nothing

Everyone has the tools

We now can recognise that all of these distribution things …

We now can recognise that all of these distribution things …

Were actually content prisons

We now can recognise that all of these distribution things …

Were actually content prisons

And now content is free to have its own life

This is unstitching a fundamental foundation of our society that has

been in place for 600 years

And it creating a new ‘post-Gutenberg’ world

• Space dependent• Controlling channel• Scarcity• Institutions• Content and audience = mass• Producer split from consumer• Quality = perfection and

precision of execution and message

• Controlled / restricted

• Time dependent• Controlling liberated content• Abundance• Processes• Content and audience = micro• “Prosumer”• Quality = authenticity of

communication and credibility of story

• Transparent

It is different

GutenbergPost

Gutenberg

• Space dependent• Controlling channel• Scarcity• Institutions• Content and audience = mass• Producer split from consumer• Quality = perfection and

precision of execution and message

• Controlled / restricted

• Time dependent• Controlling liberated content• Abundance• Processes• Content and audience = micro• “Prosumer”• Quality = authenticity of

communication and credibility of story

• Transparent

It is different

GutenbergPost

Gutenberg

It’s different!

So what?

So what number 1

The slide into irrelevancy and obsolescence of businesses for whom

information mediation is their principle function

The “traditional” media

“Within 5 years, 50 per cent of the media

consumers consume, will be produced by other

consumers”(Ron Bloom, CEO Mevio, speaking in 2006)

i.e. – the old space will shrink by 50% and a new space, at least as big, will emerge. And the business model of the traditional media will be destroyed in

the process

This was my conversion moment

St Paul

Damascus

Image: Creative Commons Copyright P-P Reubens

Some understand this

But many don’t

Let them eat blogs

The “traditional” media

The channel is not being threatened by a

competitor – its function is becoming obsolescent

Where is it going to end?Music business – already dead

Gutenberg media – very sick

Banking – the next in line

So what number 2

The rise of transparency and the challenge to institutionalised

trust

A funny thing is happening to trust

Institution Process

Institutionalised Trust:Assumptions

An individual can’t comprehensively interrogate an organisation’s activities

and behaviours

An individual can’t easily publicise examples where

reality is inconsistent with institutionalised image

Institutionalised Trust:Assumptions

An individual can’t comprehensively interrogate an organisation’s activities

and behaviours

An individual can’t easily publicise examples where

reality is inconsistent with institutionalised image

The “Con

nected C

rowd” ca

n

They can

now – s

ee AOL o

r Comcas

t

engineer

on YouT

ube, or

check ou

t

GetSatis

faction

The Tipping Point

An institutionalised trust model is like an old car – it will become progressively harder and more

expensive to maintain

Trust vested in Process

Its not what you sayIts what “The Crowd”

can see

So what number 3

The challenge to markets posed by reduced costs of entry and the

ability to service niche demands

Mass brands will face death by 1,000 niches

Conventional brand segmentation, like so much

else, is just another ‘child of Gutenberg’

So what do you do?

Shift investment in control of channel into investment in

ContentConversationCommunity

Content

You acquired customers

Threw-out a mass communication net

Gutenberg

Customers acquire you

Using crowd intelligence search and filter your

digital space

PostGutenberg

Crowd filtering

Is driven by processes of individual relevance not mass

attraction

Doesn’t respond to mass content it only responds to niche,

portable content threads which can be re-cycled through the

crowd ecosystem

Content: make more of it“Break free from the content prison that is

your web site”

“Stop buying mass media (distribution) start making micro

media”

“Get it a good url

Get it tagged

Get it up / out there

Get it working for you”

Develo

p a di

gital

bait

strate

gy and

focus

on

irrele

vancy

While I am at it - another mantra

Google is a reputation engine – not a search

engine

And Google never forgets

Good example: Electrolux social media newsroom

Good example: Microsoft Channel 9

Good example: Coke exploiting its archive

ConversationWhat do you say?

Who says it?

Create a spaceListen and respond

Create a Conversation Department

Spread the burden across the organisation

Its happening

No one from HSBC has sponsored, endorsed or joined the conversation yet

Community

The thing everyone is now talking about (especially if

they have a database)

But why should anyone join your community?

Community

Individuals will form communities to collectively manage their

interaction with institutions

Individuals will allow themselves to be managed

within communities controlled by institutions

How is it going to pan out?

Community

What this means

Facilitate the process of community

building within your customer

base

Be crystal clear about

your community proposition (it is the new

brand proposition)

But if you are …

CollaborativeCollective Communal

At least understand that there are different types of community

SummaryThe social media world is very different – the old

rules don’t apply.

Respect the new rules and you will prosper – ignore them and you will crash and burn

Summary

It is going to affect you in three ways•Explosive growth of a new space and shrinkage of the old channels

•A change to trust – from institutions to processes

•The rise of the niche

Summary

Forget controlling channels, focus on:

•Content•Conversation•Community

These are the new assets and seats of value

A final thought…

Adapting to the post-Gutenberg world is like going on a diet

A vision of the future achieved by lots of small steps, good days, bad days, successes and

failures

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