With the new U.S. administration, there's an overwhelming sense that pragmatism is being restored and taking root. Here's why marketers should be pressed to follow a focused approach to social media as well.
For businesses, marketers and the newly minted class of "social media evangelists," this is certainly a time for pause. As the New Year begins and the Obama administration prepares to take office, there is the sinking feeling that 2009 may not be the brightest of years. And while declarations that we are witnessing the end of American-style capitalism will likely prove to be overblown, we certainly are going to see a permanent reversal on many of the laissez-faire ideologies and policies that contributed to this current mess.
So what will take their place? Well, if the strategy of the Obama campaign and recent remarks by the president-elect himself are any indication, America is set for a return to a kind of pragmatism. And pragmatism is exactly what social media needs as it tries to evolve into a dominant tool for commercial speech in the 21st century.
Loosely defined, pragmatism refers to the idea that whatever process gets the best results is the best process. It prefers practicality over ideology, though blind adherence can lead to a dangerous ends-justifies-the-means rationale.
Pragmatism often appears near the middle of two extremes and is firmly rooted in the idea that compromise isn't weakness but rather an opportunity at win/win. In the right mix, the yin-yang balance of pragmatism usually reveals a third, more effective way that honors the core beliefs of the other two extremes. Sounds simple enough, but pragmatism is often difficult to practice, especially within the realms of an echo chamber, be it at The White House or at the latest gathering of social media experts.
Just like the internet, the graphical user interface, and the iPhone, pragmatism is a uniquely American invention. Its influence is scattered throughout Americana be it the eagle on the back of the dollar bill, the name "Mark Twain" (a pseudonym that literally refers to the perfect balance of shallow and deep waters) or Paul Newman's conviction that the best way to help terminally ill kids is to sell salad dressing.
A lot has been written about Obama’s campaign using social media to reach and activate a younger voter base. Even more interesting is how the campaign used it to support near contradictory approaches to outreach. Both the idealism of grass-rooted community building and the gritty realism that politics sometimes can resemble an alleyway knife fight were reflected in the campaign's social media strategy. This balancing of opposites says much about Obama’s success and overall outlook (he did after all tip his hat to the virtues of Republican ideals during his victory speech in Grant Park) and hints at how we will try to navigate his administration during this fierce downturn.
So what does a pragmatic take on social media look like?
Well for starters it's constantly reminding ourselves of the irrational exuberance that lead to the first dot-com bust. History has a tendency to repeat itself. At the NY Web 2.0 Conference last September, Avinash Kaushik joked at the beginning of his presentation that the only difference between Web 1.0 companies and Web 2.0 companies was that the later had better logos. I think he was only half joking.
At the same time, we must keep in mind that humans at their core, are social creatures and that Moore's Law is still well in effect (at least for the next generation or two). Regardless of where the Dow is headed, it is a safe bet that technology and computers are going to continue to become cheaper, faster and smaller for the next 20 to 30 years. With that the social, cultural, and business disruptions that accompany those innovations will continue.
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