Taking my interest in all things Social to the next level, I've enrolled in a "Philosophy and Social Media" course at Sydney University. A six-week course of two-hour lectures, it already promises enormous value for both my professional and personal life online. The opening lecture threw up so much to think about it occurred to me that it would be helpful, not to mention appropriate, to blog along the way. So here goes...
The lecture - slide deck can be found here (and embedded below) along with the lecture notes -was given by Tim Rayner (PhD), philosopher, author and film maker. This wide-ranging first session looked at a number of topics by way of introduction and scene-setting - so much in fact that I won't attempt to address it all right here and now. But among the many topics raised, probably the most attention-grabbing and controversial was that of the "Panopticon".
The broader concept is far better articulated at Tim's blog here, but in summary, the idea is proposing this 19th century prison design - pioneered by Jeremy Bentham - as a powerful analogy for the impact social media is having no our lives and on society generally. The idea comes to us via French Philosopher Michel Foucault in his book Discipline & Power which explores concepts of power, culture and social change. Very quickly then: it is the model whereby prisoners are kept in cells arranged in a circular arena around a guard tower in such way as to ensure that the guards in the tower - not to mention the other prisoners - can see into all of the cells. Moreover, bright lights shining from the tower towards the cells mean that while the prisoners know that they can be seen by the guards and other prisoners - they are not in fact sure if they are or not at that moment being watched. Thus they behave at all times as if they are.
It's a spooky, big-brother-like scenario, but Mr Rayner proposes that the "I might or might not be under surveilance by my social following - therefore I best assume that I am" impact on our psyche is radically changing society right on front of our eyes. As is often the case, the social media revolution has set about us so quickly it will be years before we are able to fathom the true impact of it on us all - and we desperately need people like this canvassing these kind of ideas to force us to take stock of it all before it is too late. This is an important role for academics and thinkers - and it's comforting to see it in action.
The alarming idea is quickly alleviated however even as the first lecture develops. Mr Rayner puts forward a three-fold formula for healthy and rewarding social media life which - if followed - should ensure the damaging impact of the Panopticon is carefully guarded against.
- Nomadism - the ability to move between different identities through different social networks and through the various different roles that we play in life
- Mutualism - keeping at the core of one's social media activity a principle of communalism
- Mindfulness - always taking time to take stock of one's activity and demeanor to ensure approriate behaviour, language and conduct at all times.
This is my paraphrasing and interpretation of Mr Rayner's thesis, but you can read it in his own, more accurate, words in his lecture notes (beneath the slide deck at slideshare). All three concepts cover an array of characteristics but three stand out for me as essential to social success (and safety):
Within Nomadism is the quest for integrity as the user moves from one channel to another and through each different flavour of one's persona, it is essential that some core essence is maintained. This is not different to the process we go through when we change from a suit we wore to an interview into jeans and a T-shirt in which to go clubbing. Quite different personas, and likely-as-not quite different demeanors, but still essentially "you".
Within Mutualism, you should - I believe - always seek to add value and place the benefit of others first ahead of your own agenda in selecting and positioning the content and opinions you offer. This ideally unselfish approach should ensure goodwill and the benefit of the doubt in the innevitable event of some mistake or stumble. It also should ensure a solid following as the nature of one's content should stay rich with this as the guide.
Finally, within Mindfulness is the key word: vigilance. Social media contribution requires an ever present filter or - as a public relations professional, I like to say - a "press office". I'm no expert on the various components of the brain, but some portion of it should be resereved to process content before it airs - to "approve" it, for want of a better word. By asking the questions: "is this sensible, is this valuable, is this offensive" you can hopefully avoid those moments of regret and panic. Because as we all know - in real-time social media - there is no such action as <delete>!
I believe these three principles Mr Rayner outlines are an excellent protection against the scrutiny of the guards' tower, hopefully making its gaze less stark and penetrating. Ultimately, Mr Rayner encourages you to simply "be the very best that you can be" in the social web.
As I move through the course, while considering the impact of all of this on society and the individual is of course fascinating, I would in particular be keen to also explore the impact all of this has on an organisation. What impact will the Panopticon effect have on an orgnisation and while individual mindfulness is relatively simple to achieve, how can an organisation strive towards it.
Fascinating stuff, more soon!