The Culture That Surrounds Technology

Did you know there is a right and a wrong way to use social networking tools like Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin?

The reason I know this is because the internet is bombarded on a daily basis by posts, articles, and ebooks on the best uses of these tools. Shoot, I’ve even written a few “best practices” posts. Seems everyone has an opinion or touts some type of social media maven badge to show expert status.

My observation is that the cultural norms and right/wrong procedures within social networking tend to flow from an organic, grassroots consensus from the user (insert Tron quote here: “I fight for the user!”). There isn’t a Twitter Bible that we all ascribe to. But there is a general agreement (with a few extremists) on what is or isn’t appropriate.

Maybe the movie, Tron, is a good analogy here. The creator implemented the structure. The users created the culture. And as we’ve seen, when the creators tweak the structure in such a way that it messes with the culture – there’s a backlash.

It’s not enough to own or obtain the technology, one must understand the culture that surrounds the technology as well.

What do you think?

Share this Post

Leave a Comment