More than 20 years ago now Howard Rheingold, one of the pioneers of virtual communities, said that " a tremendous power shift is underway ... this power shift is about people and our ability to connect with each other in new ways... "
Speaking at the first Writers' Retreat on Interactive Technology and Equipment conference sponsored by the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University and Emily Carr College of Art and Design, Rheingold noted in 1994 that he was struck by the "citizen-to citizen movement now known as virtual community" popping up everywhere he travelled.
I was at the conference preparing to teach my first Writing for New Media course at College of the Rockies where I was also working on the development of a grad program in New (Social) Media Communications launched a year later. Very few people at the time agreed with Rheingold and other internet pioneers who believed as I did that we were embarking on the biggest societal change in communications since the days of Gutenberg and his printing press.
I spoke on the topic of how the Internet could defeat politicians, or help them win, at an annual conference of the Canadian Association of Journalists in 1996, and argued, that in due course, it would be a major contributing factor. Interestingly, the old guard in the room vehemently disagreed with me, while campus journalists supported my position.The old guard, and me, had never heard of Barack Obama in 1995.
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| in my office at COTR circa 1995 |
Fast forward to now! You don't hear much about virtual communities now, as all the talk is about social media. The power shift has occurred despite the naysayers then and now, because of our need to connect, one with the other, and we have choices like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Skype, and yes, even email.
Recently, I have been thinking about Chapleau folks and how they are connecting with each other no matter where they may live today as I watch a group of Facebook friends communicate with each other each morning. They share the weather report from where they live, so typically Canadian, and other news. I won't identify them as I did not request permission to use their names but I really enjoy their daily meeting.
I have used three photos with this column to provide examples of three Chapleau pages on Facebook which are in my view at least very successful.
One is the Chapleau History and Genealogy group launched by Louise (Tremblay) Etter which now has over 1,500 members. Its members provide awesome photos and comments related to the history of Chapleau and its people.
I enjoy "Chapleau Kebsquasheshing" the golf club page because weekly it provides information on club activities, most particularly "Adult Night" winners. Despite my almost 30 years away from Chapleau, I still can identify most of the golfers.
And I selected the Trinity United Church page as a great example of how to keep members informed on church activities.
There are many other Chapleau pages, which I am delighted to see, and should any wish to contact me about them please feel free to do so.
Despite having taught social media, I joined Facebook some years ago now at the suggestion of former students, and I extend great thanks to them. I have been able to reconnect with so many people with whom I had lost touch for many years, and catch up on their lives. Facebook is also an example of the success of new media with its convergence of all media to digital forms.
At any given time on Facebook, "friends" are using text, still photos, videos and all kind of cool things to communicate with one another and a broader audience if they wish. One-to-one, one-to-many, and many-to-many!!! While I have focused on Facebook, others like Twitter and Instagram are also in the mix.
While teaching new media at COTR I made many fearless predictions about where we were headed. At times I really didn't have a clue but knew something big was happening. I am still learning.
In the COTR library where students had access to computers, they were banned by the powers-that-be from accessing chat rooms, which in those days was the main reason the students wanted to use the computers. To me it was a sure sign that big changes could not be far off. The kids were way ahead in social networking, while the established order wanted to ban them from the practice. Now kids are "tweeting" and "facebooking" and so on.
When I think of it though, my generation liked to pass notes around the classroom to our friends, which of course was forbidden. Now they stay in touch by texting each other on cel phones, and using Facebook, Twitter, etc. Plus ca change. Plus c`est la meme chose.
I would love to hear your comments on social media and its place in your life, and how you enjoy staying connected with others. Critics welcome too!
My email is mj.morris@live.ca, or feel free to contact me on Facebook.