The Social Networking World: Digital, Public & Loud!

The Social Media Revolution
Sometimes I wonder if we are aware of the significant social and technological changes that we experience with the raise of the Internet. Historians in the future may look back at this point in time like current historians do about Columbus’ discovery of the American continent.

Life is no the same it used to be 20 years ago. We have grown accustomed living two lives: our real world life and our online life. In the real world we are bounded by things like status, careers, location etc. But not in the virtual world of social media. Thanks to sites like YouTube, online forums, Facebook, and Twitter we are able to be in many places at the same time and experience a whole world of possibilities. Connecting with people from other countries and other continents is no longer an exotic experience reserved for few members of society. We’re living in a time where global interaction is the norm, not the exception. This is the digital area: no boundaries, no limitations.

 The Thin Boundaries 

One of the main characteristics of this digital world is the public access of information. The vast majority of information is available to the public online, for free. Look at www.wikipedia.com it is perhaps the most ambitious and revolutionary project humans ever developed (and it’s not even close from being “finished”!). Wikipedia makes all information available to everybody; all that is needed is a device connected to the Internet. Knowledge is not only public, but also easy to access.

However, the public nature of this new social networking world is not all pretty. We now have to administer both our real life and our social life. The boundaries of privacy are thinner than ever. What’s interesting is that there is a perception of social networks being intrusive at time but it is users who are adding the content and making it public especially with services like Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare.

It’s “cool” to post what we are thinking, the jokes we just heard, what we want to eat, where were are going for vacations, our dreams, our goals, and even where we are at any given time. But I believe we are far away from being fully educated about the limitations and the consequences of this boundary free new world. It is so easy to come across as being different from what we are in real life with just a comment made online. Rather than learning the hard way, I think younger generations that are being born into this era should receive proper education about online behaviour. One small click can have severe consequences from years to come. 

Our Voice Matters Too!

Back in the days, families used to sit in front of a television set and watch whatever local channels were showing. This model gave the media more voice than ever. The media was the starter of the conversations in society.

Those were the old days, the digital world of social networks has given voice to everybody with an internet connection. Fame is no longer the result of knowing the right people at a media station. Just look on www.youtube.com the top watched videos and see how many of them were produced by a TV channel.

In today’s society we look at the media content that we want and not the one that is given to us. Even more interesting is the fact that the media is no longer pushing information but also pulling it from consumer. We have a new voice, it matters as much as the "official" voices, and it’s louder than we think. Ask Egypt politicians...