People often ask me why I am so passionate about social media.
I became interested in social media because of my need to reconcile the two halves I was split into —
As an individual, I was tired of being targeted by commercial messages from the brands-media-retail triumvirate. As a marketer, I loved the art and science of marketing, adored brands, and was hardwired into the idea of capitalist free markets driven by consumerism.
My endeavor to reconcile these two parts… led to my interest in social media, because, at its best, social media allows brands and consumers to connect as equals, even as people (and brands are people too).
– but that’s not the full story.
At its best, social media enables us to transform ourselves as individuals, transform marketplaces and transform society.
Social media gives us the tools to create meaning (via both content and relationships) in ways that was not possible before, allows us to realize our full potential both as creative individuals and social beings.
Social media also enables brands and consumers to engage as equals, even connect as people (because, as I have said before, brands are people too).
