Does Social Media = Social Change?

In his New Yorker piece “The Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted,” Malcolm Gladwell presents a critique of social media’s ability to create real cultural and political change. He argues that Twitter, Facebook and other platforms have failed to produce the kind of paradigm shifts that the 1960s protests did.

While I appreciate Gladwell’s attempt to play devil’s advocate, I often find that people too quickly embrace the effects of social media without any critical analysis. However, I think the changes social media has created are difficult to measure. The social impact it has is much more subtle and embedded in our everyday lives.

One of the most important social areas it has transformed is the relationship between brands and people.  Because of the reach and speed of social media, information that was previously kept from the public eye can now spread quickly across communities. As we have seen this year with BP, it is in the best interest of brands to be transparent and honest. Research has shown people – particularly millennials and teens– are increasingly skeptical of advertising. Brands can not rely on slick images, but must create valuable products, services and experiences.

Furthermore, Twitter, Youtube, and other platforms have empowered the user with the tools to influence and co-create the brand in ways that facilitate the change they want to see in the world. Brands can help curate these conversations, productions, and changes by creating platforms for users to make a difference. For example, with corporate citizenship at the heart of many of its marketing efforts, Timberland has created an Earthkeeper, an online community for individuals who are interested in reducing their eco footprint and promoting sustainability. Through social media-driven projects like Pepsi Refresh, brands can support individuals who have groundbreaking ideas that have a positive impact on communities.

Social media may not lead to a widespread social revolution – in the traditional sense, but it has transformed the ways in which brands and people interact. We should approach the effects of social media with a critical eye, but understand the potential it has for creating social change in and through brands. 

(Melissa Andrada) @themelissard

Photo courtesy of Mikael Altemark via Flickr Creative Commons License.