“What social media has done”
opined Nigel this morning, “is to democratise opinion.” And as ever, he was
right.
Social media is creating new
circles of community, new ways of connecting and new means of sharing ideas.
The workings of it, on the surface, are simple. Live in the UK? Can’t see pictures of a topless future queen? Log
on to the tweets and join the crowd!
The reason social media works is
that it replicates the way human beings work. The internet has become a virtual
water cooler, whether you want to swap gossip or profound philosophical
insights. And one simple act of connection can link you to an entire planet.
All the more reason for
communication to come from an honest place, and for ideas to be spoken with
clarity: a basic fact that hit me once again thanks to a posting on the
Syracuse communications class site by Heather, a student of theatre, featuring
the Guidhall voice coach Patsy Rodenburg. She was teaching the important of
energy; which she divides into three circles. The first (call it the “Eeyore”
circle) sees us holding all the energy inside, slumped in on ourselves; the
third (call it the “I’ve had one too many tequilas” circle) is the loud, pouty,
shouty one used by the most (self) important person in the room. The second,
and the most important, is the place where we are truly present with both
ourselves and our audience.
When we are present we can speak
with truth. And when we speak through social media, we speak truth to the
world.
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