It’s been a week since returning from the Uprising in Tennessee – a retreat at the RT Lodge in Maryville, hosted by Mark Schaefer. Gathering some of the most brilliant minds in marketing from Canada, the US and abroad, it was an immersive experience of thought leadership, discussion and social interaction.
I’ve been ruminating on a statement that stuck with me during one presentation though… What happens when content becomes more mirror than window?
This question cuts to the heart of what I am most concerned about right now in social media, especially as the impacts will be further amplified with AI.
As most of you know, I am huge fan of leveraging social media for marketing gain. Indeed, I’ve made my living helping to educate clients around strategy to best do that. But I’d be lying if I didn’t acknowledge my concern over some of the perils that social media has inflicted on society.
A reflection
That social media platforms cycle content to our feed based on our browsing habits, connections, comments, and increasingly actions taken across the web, is not new news. Blame it on the commerce model of ads that supports most platforms. It’s the road we’ve journeyed down.
But the question about how we remain open and curious in this environment remains. To stay curious, we need outside stimulation. To remain challenged and open in our views, we need the opportunity for conversation with a broad range of people.
It’s one of the reasons I love picking up a hard copy newspaper on the weekend. I’ll browse the sections for an entire week at the kitchen table, often dipping into topics that would otherwise have no interest to me. The act of reading an actual paper versus the screen also seems to make me more time tolerant digging into longer articles, minus distractions. I fear our curated feeds are robbing us of the ability to browse – and be curious.
Likewise, travel causes us to be curious humans. Being exposed to the new, the unknown, and open to serendipity. When we explore new places, meet new people, have conversations involving different views, experience being a visible minority outside our own country, struggle with language and cultural norms, these challenges make us more resilient and compassionate. Travel opens a window, rather than tossing up a mirror.
My life’s work has been as a marketing strategist here at fiveminutemarketing.com. But my love of travel writing on the side for years caused me to launch a second brand, www.carryonqueen.com. I care deeply about the threat that this loss of curiosity and serendipity poses to both industries. One through a curated feed, the other through highly curated travel experiences. What happens when our feed, and our life, becomes more mirror than window?
80% of word of mouth is shared offline
On the flip side of that online mirror, is a window to the undiscovered. Treasures, hot tips, and recommendations are often shared through word of mouth. But did you know that 80% of word of mouth actually takes place offline, with in person communication? Another curious fact: the majority of offline word of mouth is positive. The reasoning for this is that people in general want to be helpful, and this type of information share skews dramatically positive. That’s in stark contrast to online commentary, which can have a healthy dose of negativity, without needing to be delivered in person, or even with a real name attached to it.
Perhaps this will cause you to reconsider how your offline experiences and interactions play into marketing efforts, and how important offline word of mouth will become as increasingly our feeds become more like mirrors of content. Something to think about…