The New Age of Accountability - Leverage Shame Like the Millennials Do
Did you see Inc Magazine's Top 2011 Social Blunders? If not, Google it now before it gets replaced in a few minutes!:) The article brings to light new issues that weren't even issues a few years (maybe even months) ago.
Like these shameful situations...
- Having your Twitter account hacked and an f-bomb shared with 1,000s of your followers.
#Chrysler - Not intervening quickly enough when racist comments hit your Facebook fanpage.
- Surveying your customers via social networks only to be met with complete disdain.
#BigTimeEyeOpener - Tweeting without thinking.
- TwitPic-ing without thinking.
#politicalprivateparts - Building a "fake flock" of Twitter followers in an effort to be "hip".
- Having an outlandish meltdown in front of the entire world.
#winning Today everyone, especially Millennials, are armed with a 24/7 shame exposure called smart-phones.
Mobile technology has enabled the geotagging of your exact location, photoing of your next meal and launching your opinion into the world without filter.
All with just a few flicks of your thumbs.
Truly extraordinary times that we live in.
YES!? It's going to take top social blunders like the ones described above for us to learn and adapt to the pitfalls as well as the mega-benefits of more social media-ness.
First, how will corporation's leverage shame? We are now getting more exposure to companies doing things right.
We've all heard of the good news stories of airlines connecting with stranded passengers to find them a new flight.
Or, wireless companies using social media to pinpoint weaknesses in their network.
Etc, etc.
The viral-ness that spins off of those good deeds can turn that person or company into a Social Wonder! You see, all these Social Wonders will hold the rest of the companies accountable because the good deeds are in plain sight! Those companies that hide behind complicated processes and slow turnaround times will have no choice but to leverage their own shame and step up their game.
And once that happens, we all win.
Second, how will individuals leverage shame? Every tweet, status update, photo and pin build your personal data stream.
It tells your story.
I find it fascinating to imagine what we will be able to do with these data streams as we age (but that's another article).
Since so many Millennials have already been sharing every aspect of their lives online, it becomes second nature for us to assume that anything we do or say will show up somewhere on the worldwide web.
Here is a good example of what we're talking about: Gary Vaynerchuk (famous social media dude and the wine library TV guy) said once that he didn't want to go into a strip club with friends because someone might take a TwitPic (phone photo) of him and post it online which would be detrimental to his brand/values.
And he (self admittedly) isn't even that big of a celebrity.
Gary, like so many Millennials, leveraged the potential of a social shaming to do the right thing.
These may be over-simplified examples, but hopefully, they bring the point home that we can begin to leverage shame to keep us in good standing with our own conscious or customers.
There won't be as many dark places for these shallow companies and unassuming individuals to hide anymore and that will fare well for you and me (unless you like being shallow).
Perhaps we have the Millennials to thank for (1) thrusting us into this mobile madness?...
and (2) remaining optimistic and innovative about the good that these mobile tools can bring directly or indirectly? Could we be moving into an age of higher personal and corporate accountability that will strengthen our character and naturally move us towards what's right and effortless? Yes...
it's called the New Age of Accountability.
Share on.
Like these shameful situations...
- Having your Twitter account hacked and an f-bomb shared with 1,000s of your followers.
#Chrysler - Not intervening quickly enough when racist comments hit your Facebook fanpage.
- Surveying your customers via social networks only to be met with complete disdain.
#BigTimeEyeOpener - Tweeting without thinking.
- TwitPic-ing without thinking.
#politicalprivateparts - Building a "fake flock" of Twitter followers in an effort to be "hip".
- Having an outlandish meltdown in front of the entire world.
#winning Today everyone, especially Millennials, are armed with a 24/7 shame exposure called smart-phones.
Mobile technology has enabled the geotagging of your exact location, photoing of your next meal and launching your opinion into the world without filter.
All with just a few flicks of your thumbs.
Truly extraordinary times that we live in.
YES!? It's going to take top social blunders like the ones described above for us to learn and adapt to the pitfalls as well as the mega-benefits of more social media-ness.
First, how will corporation's leverage shame? We are now getting more exposure to companies doing things right.
We've all heard of the good news stories of airlines connecting with stranded passengers to find them a new flight.
Or, wireless companies using social media to pinpoint weaknesses in their network.
Etc, etc.
The viral-ness that spins off of those good deeds can turn that person or company into a Social Wonder! You see, all these Social Wonders will hold the rest of the companies accountable because the good deeds are in plain sight! Those companies that hide behind complicated processes and slow turnaround times will have no choice but to leverage their own shame and step up their game.
And once that happens, we all win.
Second, how will individuals leverage shame? Every tweet, status update, photo and pin build your personal data stream.
It tells your story.
I find it fascinating to imagine what we will be able to do with these data streams as we age (but that's another article).
Since so many Millennials have already been sharing every aspect of their lives online, it becomes second nature for us to assume that anything we do or say will show up somewhere on the worldwide web.
Here is a good example of what we're talking about: Gary Vaynerchuk (famous social media dude and the wine library TV guy) said once that he didn't want to go into a strip club with friends because someone might take a TwitPic (phone photo) of him and post it online which would be detrimental to his brand/values.
And he (self admittedly) isn't even that big of a celebrity.
Gary, like so many Millennials, leveraged the potential of a social shaming to do the right thing.
These may be over-simplified examples, but hopefully, they bring the point home that we can begin to leverage shame to keep us in good standing with our own conscious or customers.
There won't be as many dark places for these shallow companies and unassuming individuals to hide anymore and that will fare well for you and me (unless you like being shallow).
Perhaps we have the Millennials to thank for (1) thrusting us into this mobile madness?...
and (2) remaining optimistic and innovative about the good that these mobile tools can bring directly or indirectly? Could we be moving into an age of higher personal and corporate accountability that will strengthen our character and naturally move us towards what's right and effortless? Yes...
it's called the New Age of Accountability.
Share on.
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