Social Media Revolution: Lessons from Egypt
You must be living under a rock if you haven’t heard about the unrest in Egypt - and today’s dramatic conclusion: the stepping down of Egyptian President Mubarak. Now, the pundits have shifted quickly to pondering: What started this? Did social media cause a revolution in Egypt? Or Thailand? Or Iran?
The short answer is: No. But, the long answer is a bit more complex. Social media presents a manifestation of our new abilities to communicate with one another, facilitated by massive advances in technology. As a very wise colleague points out, revolutions have been going on since the dawn of time. So, why is this one different?
Speed Social media may not have caused the revolution itself (in Egypt, Thailand, or Iran), but social media and the technology that facilitates them (i.e. mobile phones) has certainly sped up the process of rebellion. The American Revolution ostensibly took seven years to play out (from 1776 to 1783). The Egyptian Revolution has erupted and climaxed in a little over two weeks. Social media makes it easy for people to organize and magnify their voices, whether for political influence or business backlash.
Weapon of Choice To disarm a movement of dissent in the past, governments and organizations had to battle against home-made grenades and AK-47’s. Now, shutting off social media is just - if not more - powerful. That’s because social media has become the weapon of choice for revolutionaries, looking to congregate around common interest and influence immediate action.
(AP Photo/Tara Todras-Whitehill)
Why Does this Matter to Marketers? Revolutions are not exclusive to political or social causes. The social media backlash against the new GAP logo, or Chic-Fil-A’s recent snafu are all examples of how audiences have mobilized on social media to speak out against things brands are doing with which they do not agree. Physical location is no longer a boundary for people looking to assemble and influence change in our digitally-interconnected world. Even if a company is not actively participating in social media, listening and monitoring the socialsphere is ever more critical to understand what people are talking about right now. It’s the new market research.
So - social media may not have caused the revolution in Egypt, or even revolutions in today’s business environment, but the power of this new communications platform continues to ignite the passion and action of all the world. Are you listening?
