It Happened Without Email

I’m a Malcolm Gladwell groupie. I’ve read every book. I religiously read his articles in The New Yorker. When he spoke in Indy a couple of years ago at the ExactTarget Connections conference I had to be there. The day of his presentation I was as excited as I am when I get the rare opportunity to see Lenny Kravitz in concert. It’s pathetic, I know.

But Gladwell wrote an article for The New Yorker a couple of months ago that still makes me scratch my head. He suggests that social media isn’t an effective way to evoke social change. He writes about the civil rights movement and what propelled people to act and unite for change and that they did it without email or Twitter. “The kind of activism associated with social media isn’t like this at all,” Gladwell writes. “The platforms of social media are built around weak ties. Twitter is a way of following (or being followed by) people you may never have met. Facebook is a tool for efficiently managing your acquaintances, for keeping up with the people you would not otherwise be able to stay in touch with.” You can read the article, and you should, in its entirety here http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/10/04/101004fa_fact_gladwell#ixzz16hMFXLAh.

In my opinion Gladwell is assuming that what worked to stimulate change in 1960 is going to work in 2010. The last time I checked we still had some civil rights issues that need solving. I agree that social media isn’t going to fix any world crisis overnight. We still need masses of people using their personal experiences and stories to educate the masses (or their identified target audience!). I work in the nonprofit industry and many of my colleagues are using social media to propel change in their communities. Send me an email if you need some examples. Facebook, Twitter, You Tube, etc. are just tools to help us better target our campaigns. But to just assume it’s not the right channel for any social issue is short sided.

The thing is, because I’m a Gladwell groupie, I think he brings some merit to the conversation. I’m open for debate. What do you think? Is social media an effective way to drive social change?

Courtney Kasinger, APR

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Comments

[Ryan Puckett]

Good post Courtney. I haven't read the linked article you, but I think Gladwell has a point. However, in some case online grassroots efforts (sometimes through social media channels) can be highly effective. On top of that, they efforts can take place in a few hours/days, lighting a hot fire in a hurry under a burning issue.