It’s late 2011 and there’s still are a lot of people that have trouble getting past the “what’s social media” phase.

We shouldn’t be surprised by this. Every culture shifting change has been met with resistance and confusion.

Eventually, it becomes ubiquitous. Like the telephone.

The telephone was met with as much confusion and frustration as social media is today. Where it took the telephone nearly a century to become an integral  part of our lives, it’s taken computers, internet and new media a fraction of that time.

I recently picked up the new iPhone 4S; my first smart phone. I’m enjoying it even though it represents a yet another learning curve.

Unlike my desktop computer which it nearly matches, I can slip it into my pocket and play with it while sipping a java at my local coffee shop.

We’ve come a long way since the first mobile phone was carried in the trunk of a car and took up half the space.

Now mobile is the new buzzword.

People are carrying their business and personal communication needs with them wherever they go – And at astonishing rates judging by the number of people that walk into me on the street – I trust natural selection will eventually take care of this.  

I remember in grade 7 (a long time ago in a land far away) my teacher was telling us how technological innovation was outpacing our ability to absorb it.

Social media, as a new technology exemplifies this.  It represents computers,  software,  codes and passwords; all the things that many people find intimidating.

My job, as a consultant  is to help people master the tools so that we can then move on to exploring what those tools are capable of building for us – social businesses.

Being a social business isn’t some rainbow & unicorn ideal. It’s real and it’s the future. The change isn’t being led by computer geeks, but by people who aren’t content to be passive consumers.

People want a say in the products and services they purchase and they want their voice heard by the companies that provide them.

For an example of what a social business looks like, I recommend reading Pam Moore’s post: 10 Questions To Confirm If You’re Ready To Become a Social Business.

 

Where do you think we are on the Social Revolutionary timeline?

 

 

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About Ray Hiltz

Ray Hiltz is a Social Media Strategist with management roots in restaurant, hotel and performing arts. A strong proponent for the power of collaborative communication and "humanized" digital networking, Ray writes about social media, social business and Google Plus. His clients include hotels, restaurants, consulting firms, entrepreneurs, writers and individuals just trying to make sense of "social". Ray is a popular speaker on Social Media, Social Business and Google+.