Is social media helping us become better people?

It’s a popular and ongoing debate subject – Is social media making us more (or less) social? A solid case can be made for both sides of the debate. You only have to witness a table full of Millennials sitting together, eyes glued to their smart phones, seemingly oblivious to the presence of other humans, to know that technology has radically altered their in-the-flesh social engagement.

To be clear, the majority opinion is that social media is actually making us LESS social. A recent poll conducted at debate.org asked “Has social media made us less social?” 85% of respondents said Yes.

Today I am taking the opposing view and exploring some of the ways that new communication options are having a positive effect on our social lives, and how this enhanced and intensive connectivity is playing out face-to-face in the real world.

We are building stronger bonds

When we become “friends” on Facebook, “followers” on Twitter, or join each other’s “circles” on Google+, it lets us feel more connected, so when we actually see each other in the real world, we feel a much closer tie – a kinship with the other person. I am always surprised (and flattered) to learn that the other person has kept up with my life through the posts I have shared. Lots of people don’t feel compelled to “Like” or comment on everything they see, so it’s nice to find out they care.

Virtual friendship has real value

Even people we have never met in person can become important to us. In the old days many people had pen pals (remember letters?) and often those relationships grew to hold great meaning to both parties. On Facebook, one day you stop and realize that you and this other person you've never "met" have been “friends” for 7 years now! You have history together.

Casting a wider net

Social platforms make it easier to keep up on the lives of way more people, and even to remember more people. Those of us that sometimes struggle with remembering people’s names (including yours truly) now have tools to help put names to faces. And as we expand our social networks, we are more aware than ever just how closely we are all connected. In a city like mine (Hamilton, Ontario pop. 520,000) you discover you are rarely more than one connection away from anyone. Playing the “Kevin Bacon” game in this city encourages you to treat everyone the way you would a “friend-of-a-friend”. Be kind. Don't burn bridges.

What really matters

I may be ridiculed for this one, but I believe people are gradually moving away from material pursuit and toward more spiritual, sustainable, and responsible lifestyles. If you are old enough to remember the 1980s you may remember the accompanying bumper sticker slogan-ism “He who dies with the most toys wins!” Go watch Michael Douglas and a young Charlie Sheen in the film Wall Street for a taste of the times. Acquiring “stuff” was a reason for living for a lot of folks then.

I suggest that today we place a higher value on our friendships and family, the wisdom shared by contemporary Thought Leaders, and the intelligence, awareness and engagement demonstrated by our peers. This is happening, or perhaps happening at a more rapid pace, due to the internet in general and social media in particular. More people are getting clear with themselves that kindness is cool, listening without judgment is effective and appreciated, and caring about social and environmental causes is something we are doing together. We are seeking and creating more meaning from our lives and the people we share them with. If this doesn't sound like your social network, maybe it's time to consider seeking out some new "friends".

Think about this: Do you hug people more today than you did 10 years ago? I do.

"Everyone's a Critic." You say that like it's a bad thing!

The City of Brantford, Ontario has just unveiled a new logo and positioning statement. The launch is not going very well to say the least. An online poll on the local daily The Brantford Expositor website asks "Do you like Brantford's new logo?" 14% say 'Yes'. A whopping 86% say 'No'.

Here is the new design:

As described by representatives from JAN Kelley, the agency responsible for the rebranding project:
The logo features a flowing “B” representing the Grand River as well as an exclamation mark – the universal sign of greatness. 

The accompanying positioning statement is "GRAND TO GREAT". 

The logo is being criticized on many different levels, including its uncanny resemblance to a widely available (and free) stock logo, and the well known Baskin Robbins logo. And public criticism of the costs involved in rebranding a city or municipality is always inevitable. But mostly they just don't like the design.

I want to talk briefly about something else. I have worked as a professional graphic designer for most of my life. I have also taught graphic design basics to newbies and advanced courses at the university level over the past twenty-five years.

Never before have I seen so much interest in, and passion for, all things graphic design as exists today. The general public continues to become more aware, interested, and engaged. I can't tell you how exciting this is for me, and I'm sure, for my fellow design practitioners. 

Gone are the days when the very mention of a typeface would product blank stares from our friends. Today, our friends have a thousand fonts on their computers, and speak enthusiastically about their favourite serif and sans serif faces. "Regular" people talk about concept, gestalt, and message.

The biggest benefit of a more "design aware" public is that they will ultimately demand more from those of us producing the work we all have to live with. They can recognize intelligent, creative and respectful communication when they see it, and they also notice when it is absent.

The public is pretty smart. Businesses are figuring this out every day. Local politicians are starting to do the same.

One final note on the new Brantford slogan: I think you've got it backwards. Going from "GRAND TO GREAT" is the same as going from "GREAT TO GOOD". Some suggested reading… 

Happy 10th Birthday Facebook. Or should I say Familybook?

Yesterday (February 4 2014 that is) Mark Zukerberg and the gang at Facebook celebrated 10 years since the launch of the world's most popular social media platform. They did this by writing an algorithm-based script that created a personalized video for each and every FB user. Accompanied with some sentimental piano music that works beautifully the first few listens and becomes increasingly annoying the more videos you view, these videos take you back to your very first Facebook posts and photos and bring you right up to present day, all in one minute and two seconds.

I am currently 53 years old. I discovered that most of my friends joined Facebook the same year I did (2007), and most of us joined within three months of each other. So in our case we are getting a sample of the last six or seven years of our lives.

The initial response from my Facebook friends has been very positive. My favourite comment so far came from Laura, someone I've known for many years and since she was a little girl. She now has many children, an awesome (second) husband, and a large and loving extended family. Laura said "I think they should call it Familybook."

Without a doubt, many of us watched our own lives, and the lives of our friends and family members, as presented through these videos, and came away with similar thoughts: "Wow, am I ever a lucky guy (or gal)", and "My life looks pretty special when I take a moment to reflect on it."

I'm sure that some user videos contained random thoughts and images, and if you lost loved ones during your time on Facebook, watching this mini "story of your life" may have proven to be difficult. But for the most part, what comes out is what we have in common – our humanity. Filled with births and deaths, weddings and divorces, graduations and homecomings, celebrations and vacations, the Look Back serves as a moment for each of us to reflect and count our blessings.

The Independent in the U.K. observed "The fact that the Look Back feature has been co-ordinated to work for every one of Facebook's billion users is still quite impressive in a 'wow the future is here and its scary' type way." 

Facebook’s scale is hard to wrap your head around. There are 1.23 billion users – that's half of the world’s population with internet access. 750 million of us use Facebook daily. Every day 350 million new photos are uploaded to the site and, according to Lou Kerner, founder of the Social Internet Fund, “more than 20 per cent of all time spent on the internet is spent on Facebook”.

Many experts are predicting, and some even declaring, the "death" of Facebook. A recent report by Princeton University researchers suggests Facebook will lose 80 per cent of its users by 2017. "Facebook is not just on the slide – it is basically dead and buried," writes Daniel Miller, a professor of material culture at University College London. There is an exodus of young people who don't want to hang around where their parents, and even, OMG, like grandparents, are hanging out.

I for one don't believe that Facebook will continue to be popular because it's cool. It's not cool and it never was. Many of us will continue to use Facebook because Mark Zukerberg and his gang will continue to work on it. It will never be finished. And it will continue to bring us together and remind us just how amazing we are.