Submitted by DASmith on Fri, 2012-06-08 18:17

I'd like to share some thinking that we did a little while ago about the potential for social networks and social media in changing how we engage with one another, how we might go about decision making differently and of course connect in new and inspiring ways.

Like any new tool we, on the one hand oversimplify what it is to include as many people in it as possible and underestimate the potential it has to disrupt what we do and how we do it.

After nearly 40 years in information technology I am also conviced that we overstimate the time it takes for new technologies and ideas to have large scale impact and we understimate the impact it ultimately has.

Simply put, when new technologies emerge we do things differently, then when we truly understand their potential, we do different things. This is where we are with social networks and social media. We are learning what its true capabilities are and just now only learning what we can do differently let alone what different things we can do.

Governments are only now experimenting with the potential for public administration transformation through the implemetation of social media. This will need legislative as well as technological and departmental reform to truly release the full potential impact of social media in government.

I hope that this report is of some interest: http://www.thegff.com/Groups/152240/Global_Futures_and/Reports/Social_Ne...

Group audience:

Social Media

Comments

Excellent point David "When

Submitted by AxelS on Sat, 2012-06-09 07:31

Excellent point David "When new technologies emerge we do things differently, then when we truly understand their potential, we do different things"

Now I wonder if we take this phase 1 out if we really shortcut the process or if we remove some important learning? I honestly don't know. I think it needed to convert mainframe software to PCs before we actually evolved to an all new set of PC software, Windows, Spread Sheets...

Social Media related, I guess people needed to literally abuse the network for their marketing blasts to not only hear but feel and understand that social media is NOT a marketing tool but offers a whole new way of engaging with customers.

Wonder what your experience is. I feel this is a very interesting aspect to discus.

Web 2.0 is a marketing

Submitted by Engberg on Sun, 2012-06-10 01:38

Web 2.0 is a marketing hunting grond, it will die and be taken over by a sustainable model without a commmercial gatekeeper controlling processes.

The only question is how much the economy must hurt before the transformation occur.

Just downloaded the report.

Submitted by Policybloggers on Mon, 2012-06-11 09:19

Just downloaded the report. also see this which I just posted here as well http://www.policybloggersnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Policy-c...

What you say in our article

Submitted by DASmith on Mon, 2012-06-11 09:33

What you say in our article is spot on. The social capital measurement tools don't measure the deeper thinking content, moreso the chat. I'm not a great fan of them specifically but they are posting the way that we are headed aren't they.

thanks!

Submitted by Policybloggers on Mon, 2012-06-11 09:37

thanks!

@DASmith - I had a look at

Submitted by Policybloggers on Mon, 2012-06-11 09:36

@DASmith - I had a look at the report. But whats new ie you make some observations that privacy, mobile etc will be imp .. but thats known to most people .. what beyond that? am i missing something?

PS - what I mean is - are you

Submitted by Policybloggers on Mon, 2012-06-11 09:38

PS - what I mean is - are you relating it to UK govt Big society ideas? If so, thats an interesting angle .. but not sure if thats what you mean ..

It wasn't targeting the

Submitted by DASmith on Mon, 2012-06-11 11:05

It wasn't targeting the impact on public administration, government or democracy... I'm sure the event will surface great points in these areas. We have just concluded another study asking senior civil servants across Europe their views on new ways of deploying democracy and public administration transformation, I'm hoping we can release that in the course of this dialogue and forthcoming events as it surfaced some interesting perspectives on the role of IT and SN's.

While this is all very

Submitted by penval on Mon, 2012-06-11 09:43

While this is all very interesting I think we're missing a couple of tricks here and we're also in danger of wondering into a minefield, which can be fatal. First the minefield: "Thinks - Says" always leads to problems down the way; whatever we may be thinking we are talking as if "Social Media" is the answer to something, it isn't and I'm not sure that we have framed the question properly yet. So take care.

Secondly, missing the trick: yes, technology does allow us to do things differently but that is just the half way point. We do things faster, we do things differently and then we do new things. It's the last part that is important and we should not miss that. DA12 is the opportunity to be bold with our visioning. There is an underlying assumption in the report at the start of this discussion "Social Networks The Next Generation" (a good piece by the way and worth downloading) that the way we operate both as a society and as an economy will fundamentally remain the same; centralised government, business to consumer and provider led; in the medium to long term I do not believe that is the case. We are in that place, it's not working and I have lost faith in doing things differently in order to try and rescue the situation.

It's time to talk about doing new things. I would urge you to look at http://www.iftf.org/TYF2012 the Institute For the Future's report on their 2012 retreat. This is a vision for a more democratised use of technology not just an add on to democracy and not just a marketing tool. Let's use DA12 to be bold about the future, now is the time.