Facebook and Twitter: Media Prodigies

Facebook and Twitter: Media Prodigies

As I began typing this blog my hands could not keep up with my thoughts. It was one of those times when you have an epiphany in a room alone.  I don’t know about you but the minute I discover something new or exciting I want to share .  So, this week when it dawned on me Facebook and Twitter are a couple of kids, I looked forward to blogging .  Now don't get me wrong, I am not vain enough to believe this is a news worthy discovery by any means. Honestly,  gauging the age of social media is basic arithmetic.  I found it fascinating for two reasons  (1) the level of high expectations and demands we have generated around social media. (2) The correlation around the way social media is being used in comparison to the developmental  social milestones of children in the same age group.  We are looking for answers from a couple of kids. Think about it.  Facebook and Twitter are mere children, offspring’s, youngsters, whipper snappers or rug rats, it does not matter which term you prefer. The bottom line is Facebook was founded in February 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with his college roommates and fellow Harvard University students Eduardo Savern, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Moskovitz and Chris.  Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey.  So there you have it, we are dealing  with some extremely young communication technology. Wait, before you throw your hands up and declare “OMG that explains everything” keep in mind Face book and Twitter are not your average elementary age tykes they easily fall under the category of  prodigies.

The following except taken from Wikipedia best sums it up” A child prodigy is someone who, at an early age, develops one or more skills at a level far beyond the norm for their age. A prodigy has to be a child, or at least younger than 18 years, who is performing at the level of a highly trained adult in a very demanding field of endeavor. The giftedness of prodigies is determined by the degree of their talent relative to their ages. ” Although these two forms of social networking  may not fit the description of  a human child;   they are  none the less, “Brain children”. Facebook just turned 9 and Twitter is a 7 year old ‘.   It goes without saying the parents of both Face book and Twitter have earned huge bragging rights.  Social Media has revolutionized the way we interact; the way we shop; the way we handle a crisis event and even the way we fight wars.  It is impossible to disregard articles such as this one Twitter Beats (Wow, By 3 Minutes) The USGS With China Earthquake News May 12, 2008 at 1:02pm ET by Danny Sullivan
 Robert Scoble who  is credited for sending out the tweet  about the China Earthquake wrote this in a post ” I reported the major quake to my followers on Twitter before the USGS Website had a report up and about an hour before CNN or major press started talking about it. Now there’s lots of info over on Google News. ” There has never been a time in history when the average person has the power to report news and events in real time. Ordinary citizens have documented hurricanes, school shootings and car accidents through Twitter and Facebook.  We can not ignore Don Tapscott reference (during his Ted Talk) of children using Twitter during the Tunisian Revolution to send out alerts of snipers.  He stated “You think that social media is about hooking up online? For these kids (in Tunisian Revolution), it was a military tool to defend unarmed people from murders”.

 Social Media despite its’ youthfulness has brought about more change than the invention of the printing press, the telephone or radio/ television. Could this explain why so many people are intimated by social media? We have all read or seen stories of five year old children who can recite all fifty states and capitals or  13 year olds graduating from college.  Some of us may have watched the television show “Are You Smarter than a Sixth Grader?  Let’s be truthful, there is nothing worse than knowing you really are not smarter than a sixth grader. Well at least in some areas of life.  Which is exactly why most of us would never go onto a show like this. Why? Because the mere thought of having someone younger, less experienced  and less  formally trained make us look "stupid" is a nightmare.   In an article entitled Social Media Has Changed What it Means To Be A Leader, Max Nisen states” Despite its increasing popularity with employees, consumers, and as a source of competitive advantage, many leaders still shy away from social media. They fear making a mistake, the lack of control, and being overwhelmed by information.” The pressure for leaders and organization to keep abreast of media is not imagined.  It is real. There is a huge push for companies to have a well-developed Social Media Strategy in order to promote and foster business growth. It is not uncommon for Human Resource Departments to look for ways to encourage employees to blog, tweet and use Facebook to share internal and external information. Yet the resistance to the change It almost the same psychology of the class clown. If you feel insecure about something you simply deflect the pressure by pointing out the flaws and shortcoming to make other laugh. Much like people who speaks so poorly of Facebook and Twitter. "Who wants to spend all day playing games or sharing personal information anyway" says the class clown. None of us want to be publicly out smarted by a 9 and 7 year old.
Maybe these companies, like the rest of us, are forgetting one things

Social Media Prodigies have not been around for a decade or two they just function as if they have.  In order for us to become less intimidated we have to stop treating the two like kids. We have to learn to  embrace the mature capable side of social media.  If we  compare the potential Face book and Twitter has  to the way it is actually being used. It is obvious most people view them both as new toys.  The majority of people behave around social media like an embarrassed parent whose unruly elementary age child is yelling at them in the grocery store. They just willfully give over control,  sulk or just join in the chaos. A great  example is  a research study which indicted there are real-life consequences to unfriending someone on Face book. How childish is that? “People think social networks are just for fun, “said study Christopher Sibona, a doctoral student at the University of Colorado Denver Business School. “But the fact what you do on those sites can have real-world consequences.”  Perhaps it is time we begin tapping into the real power of these Social Media Geniuses to end world hunger; end violence around the world; bring an end to child trafficking or decrease poverty.   Please use the charts below to see if you are handling social media like an average 7 or 9 year old and not like the Social Media Prodigies they really are.  Also keep in mind  Facebook and Twitter are  only really, really smart  babies with their whole lives ahead of them.  So, let's not be too anxious to label them good or bad at this point . We all need a little more time to get to know them better. 

  Twitter (7)

·          Increased ability to interact with peers

·          Have more same-sex friends

·          Increased ability to engage in competition

·          Developing and testing values and beliefs that will guide present and

·         future behaviors

·          Has a strong group identity; increasingly defines self through peers

·          Need to develop a sense of mastery and accomplishment based upon

·         physical strength, self-control and school performance

Social Skills for a Nine Year Old

 Facebook (9)

• Is anxious to please, wants to be liked, and loves to be chosen.
• Developing a sense of morals based on what has been learned from adults.
• Can evaluate behavior using insight.
• Independence from adults becoming more important.
• Sense of humor further develops.
• Has a strong attachment to her own sex and may show antagonism toward the opposite sex.
• Likes to form clubs. Understands the concept of teamwork. ( Excerpt from Health A-Z)

Across the Generation:

My mother’s advice when I was raising my two sons “If the behavior will not be cute when they turn 18 then you need to stop it when they are 2.” I think this approach could be used when we are working to train young adult on how to properly use social media.