notes and views on crm, social media, and the human side of information technology

No Socialismo, o Muerte

[Warning: RANT] I get shudders whenever people throw “social” like a piece of mud at things that are quite nice on their own:

  • social responsibility
  • social media
  • social crm
  • social capitalism

I get shudders because I once lived under a regime that had “social” as its all-encompassing imperative attached to everything. And yes, it was anti-social in all ways imaginable.

My good pals in the Anglosphere don’t have this frame of reference, at least not personally. They don’t immediately get this or similar association:

So I don’t blame Hugh for getting a bit carried away today, but I must say I WILL get off this boat should this get any worse.

Shudders. And yes, I turn my nose up at this. Hope he’s joking. I guess he is.

And since I use “social” oh-too-often myself, I should clarify what it means here. In my book, the social part of “Social CRM” (CRM 2.0 aka marriage of CRM and Web 2.0 thinking) is:

  • empowering individuals to make decisions for themselves - especially where they are now powerless or less powerful than they should be - which means less power for organizations
  • empowering individuals in business interactions to get the value they are seeking and provide the value they are offering
  • empowering individuals to self-organize and form voluntary groups to achieve a common goal with minimal overhead

… you get the idea.

This has been rather a pre-emptive strike to clarify any and all future doubts, especially if these words (social media, social crm) get slanted in a bad way. Social, yes, but not as in “Socialism” but rather “social beings, acting as they damn please”.

April 17, 2008 | Filed Under Rants 

comments

6 Responses to “No Socialismo, o Muerte”

  1. Euan W Semple on April 17th, 2008

    Thanks for making me think harder!

    http://theobvious.typepad.com/blog/2008/04/more-on-the-wor.html

  2. Brendan on April 17th, 2008

    What about social control? Meaning the act whereby people check the actions of their social peers. As life moves more online not only your real life persona is judged by your environment, but also your online persona.

    Furthermore I think you are focusing a bit too much on socialism. You can also look at something you could call corporate fascism. I see you making an argument on your blog for open relations with customers. Well most corporate companies and even modern societies are not ready for this concept.

    Large corporations are built on the organisational concept of armies. Open, transparent communication lines are a threat to this type of organisation. Large corporations are built on orders and on following orders. Only at the top and in the assisting staff is any real thinking done. And then within very narrow confines.

    The above type of company is not going to change very easily in its ways. And I know, because I have worked for plenty of them. And I can also guarantee that some of them will learn the ways of the new and still stay in the old.

    Anyway, my point is that all this new technoilogy and the opportunities it offers do not change one fundamental principle: It’s all about power, and those who have it will not give it up easily. The “social media revolution” whatever that may mean is a threat to that power. And it will be dealt with accordingly. But the biggest threat will be the social control I mentioned firstly.

    Nothing control as well as a group of people who can watch each other. You never know what the neighbours might think.

  3. Tomas Kohl on April 17th, 2008

    Thanks for stopping by, guys!

    @euan: my pleasure :-) I am happy my incoherent rant has achieved anything at all.

    @brendan: excellent point. Though I would argue that the level of “social control” companies were used to has diminished. See the Free Agent Nation and similar books. And I am all for diminishing this type of control

  4. Adriana on April 18th, 2008

    Amen, brother. I had the same reaction to Hugh’s cartoon but I already get accused of being individualist enough so didn’t want to push it further. I also balk at various uses of the word social, especial social capitalism, social responsibility, social enterprise. I can just about live with social media and social web although I think in the future they will just cease to mean anything as those things are/will be ’social’ (i.e. connecting individuals) by their very nature.

  5. Tomas Kohl on April 18th, 2008

    @adriana: how much (of being individualist) is too much, these days? :-)

  6. Corporate Antisocial Behavior: the Enemy is Us. « ITSinsider on April 23rd, 2008

    [...] in the enterprise. Social just has too many negative connotations in corporate circles from socialism to socialites. I once heard from a Wall Street executive that he was no longer permitted to use the [...]

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