Episode Four of Philosophy and Media was a very educational blend of nineteenth century European Thought and cutting edge innovation as Dr Tim Rayner once again blended the various philisophical and anthropological theories with Social Media Start-up dynamics...as only he can.
This week we looked at Collaborative Consumption, The Gift Economy and The Tragedy of The Commons to understand how the very nature of human beings might be changing in front of our very eyes. Under way is a major change in the way we transact which could have lastiung effects for the way we organise as a society.
Central to the theme of Collaborative Consumption is the idea that the sharing tendencies so encouraged by modern social media sites like Facebook is now bleeding into the off-line world. Sites like Air BNB, Go Get, Couch Surfer and Taskrabbit represent a trend in innovation based on the trading and sharing of real life economic resources - like cars, homes, time - within a network of a trusted community. These new business ventures - all thirving successes - can claim as their inspiration the original Gift Economy explored by philosopher Marcel Mauss, who claimed that a desire for status and prestige can drive a demonstrable generosity and reciprocity that can become the engine of a new economy.
The theory reprised some of last week's examination of Reputation Systems and the effect Social Media is already having in rewarding a kind of "Pay it Forward" culture where a sense of community is powerfully strong. With the counter-culture of the 1960s strong in the genesis of the Social Media scene, it is not surprising that San Francisco continues to be the hub for this "sharing economy".
Quite surprisingly, the lecture reached a crescendo of bonhomerie and goodwill around the most unlikely of protagonists for communal life: Frederik Nietsche who talked about the "gift-giving virtue" and the human quest for personal fullfillment. Amid themes of spiritual abundance and mutual benefit, increasingly we will see a far less self-ish and far more generous attitude to trade and exchange as the 2008 Financial crisis continues to take effect and ecological concerns permeate daily life.
But with all of this I again thought: what does this mean for the organisation? It is a HUGE challenge for the capitalist sector - lets not beat about the bush. As Social Media takes society in a more caring, sharing and communal direction, business.inc is not well-prepared to join in. These themes run fundamentally counter to every instinct in modern corporate body. What is it if you can't measure it? Without ROI, it is nothing. Wall Street and AGMs care not for "nice" and "warm". Generosity, altruism and communal goodwill do not feature in your average business playbook.
That is why this letter from Jack Daniels legal department went so viral on Social Media. It demonstrates a very surprising brand of generosity of spirit, tolerance and flexibility - none of which are traits usually associated with the legal profession or the Alcohol indutry! Its popularity and celebre seemed like the commune welcoming one of their own. It shows how small mercies in the social sphere can earn quite imeasurable kudos and brand value. It also supports a new direction for some of the smarter brands in the very themes of altruistic economies other brands would do well to observe and emulate - like this campaign from KLM for instance: