History Never Repeats? Not True.
My favourite interview this week was with actor, writer, documentary maker (and from his twitter list – a cricket fan), Stephen Fry who is currently visiting Australia. The question about Oscar Wilde arose in a discussion of the modern digital world . I’d previously wondered about Shakespeare and blogging – so was keen to hear more.
Stephen believes that it’s impossible to understand digital technology without a grasp of history. He uses the development of print media as an example of how old ways are replaced and eventually accepted as the new. In the 18th century Stephen says there was a new kind of technology as hand presses and printing became increasingly cheaper. The hand presses led to magazines, journalism and political pamphlets with names like “The Rambler”, “The Idler” and “The Tattler” – considered by many people as trivial and not “earnest debate” – similar to the way Twitter is regarded by some today.
So what are the implications of remembering history for those of us currently exploring digital in business and marketing?
Whilst history reflects patterns in acceptance of innovation: the old eventually replaced by the new which in turn is superceded; for businesses it is simple. We just need to focus on our customers, identify what they are doing and respond accordingly.
The statistics show that increasingly people are moving online – using the web to search, purchase or communicate socially. Facebook has just hit 500 million users world wide, Twitter has more than 100 million users.
Businesses should identify where their customers are, and ensure they have a presence there. They need to be easily found when their customers search online and if customers are using social media platforms, engage them by building relationships – not selling.
If you are a business unsure about these platforms – look to your customer first and foremost.
And in respect to innovation – as Stephen says – history shows that frequently the new ways spread, are eventually accepted as the norm and later replaced as “old”.
History it seems, does repeat itself.
Related Links:
Stephen Fry: In Defence of the Modern Digital World (Interview with Mark Colvin from ABC Radio)
David Hockney’s iPhone passion: In the interview Stephen mentions David Hockney’s iPhone passion. See more here – by Lawrence Weschler of The New York Review of Books
Facebook hits 500m social media by numbers
Related Posts:
Marketing 2.0 impacts and opportunities in a tech savvy world
The Beautiful Benefits of Business Blogging
What is Your Online Marketing Strategy?
The 1-2-3 of Managing Your Social Media – A Beginner’s Guide
In Memory of Netscape – The Transformation of Business Marketing
Social Media For Good – Businesses Making A Difference Using Social Media 12for12K
