Pete and I were chatting the other morning down in Austin and the conversation led down the path of some research I did back in grad-school in the Fall of 2002. I was working on a short research project on emerging trends in products, technology, and entertainment (with two classmates, Carl DiSalvo and Amy Bergvall). I'll write more about that later, but one of the outcomes of that effort led to my thesis work on...Read on

I was recently doing some research for work and I stumbled upon the 12 step programs, particularly that of Alcoholics Anonymous. As I read through the steps I started thinking about where marketing is today. Marketing has a problem, and perhaps the best first step is admitting it. So in the spirit of the AA 12 step program, here's a version for marketers. We admit that we are powerless over our customers — our traditional...Read on

Today's instances of creating are core to mankind. For example: NEW CREATIONS Now: Self-made YouTube video submission Before: Home-made jewelry (Crafts Faire), grafitti Past: Home inventors MASHUPS Now: Google Maps + Craigslist = Housingmaps.com, Before: Scrapbooking Past: Hacking Harley Davidson motorcycles (Choppers) The creation of artifacts and services got us to where we are today. Once institutions took over the means of production, individuals migrated their efforts to hacking the products available in the marketplace....Read on

Today's instances of broadcasting have a colorful past. For example: Now: Blogging or podcasting Before: Publishing zines or newsletters Past: Ham radio/CB Radio People have always broadcasted their opinions or personality. Even fashion is a potential example of broadcasting, only without words....Read on

Today's instances of opining link to a long history of people voicing their opinions in public. For example: Now: Ratings and reviews of products; commenting on a blog Before: Word-of-mouth product advocacy or detracting; letter to the editor of a newspaper; customer service call Past: Standing on a soapbox; revolutionary words (Thomas Paine's Common Sense, Declaration of Independence); Parlour sessions While people always have an opinion, the reach of that opinion today is far greater...Read on

Today's instances of connecting using social media tools simply facilitate behaviors since the dawn of man. For example: CONNECTING ON SOCIAL NETWORK SITES Now: Create a profile on Facebook/LinkedIn/MySpace, link to friends, share updates and thoughts by posting on friends' profile pages. Before: Joining a club (Rotary, Moose Lodge, hobby-oriented, etc); Who's Who Among American High School Students (Did anyone ever get any value from this?). Past: Associations of guilds of like-minded or like-skilled individuals...Read on

Today's instances of sharing with social media have a long history. For example: MUSIC SHARING Now: Publishing a music playlist (e.g., iMix on iTunes) Before: Creating a mix tape for a friend or blasting your boom box in the park (popping and break dancing, of course) Past: Music (record) party at your home (1950s) VIDEO/PHOTO SHARING Now: YouTube/Flickr Before: Home movies/Photo Albums Past: Slide shows or vacation presentations As I said before, all media is...Read on

In my last post I talked about how all media is social. Before I get to my examples in the next few days, I want to talk about the implications of these changes on institutions. Essentially, the process goes like this: Institutions emerge, develop, become successful (or at least sustainable), and eventually become complacent.  Progressive and resourceful people develop new tools and methods to fulfill needs in an innovative way and do so outside the...Read on

We've spent a good 6+ years talking about "social media" and how it's an amazing new phenomenon. How the Internet is abound with new behaviors: posting personal videos on the web for all to see; sharing personal information with strangers on social networking sites; using blogs to voice our opinion; etc. It's the topic of many conferences, articles, and conversations across many fields (marketing, IT, business, policy). However, in reality, none of these behaviors are...Read on