The Real Value of Social Media for Social Good w/ Chris Hughes and Mashable

A few weeks ago I rented (via iTunes) the advertising documentary, Art and Copy.  Among other iconic campaigns, the film also told the story of the Ronald Reagan It’s Morning in America ads.  What struck me about the linked interview with Chris Hughes was the clear correlation between the approach of those designing social networks and those developing advertising and marketing campaigns. In the piece Hughes speaks to the importance of discourse in generating potential for action, offering:

Let’s not forget that there is immense value in “talking.” This sharp differentiation between “talking” and “action” is a false dichotomy and suggests that there isn’t value in talking and learning about the issues in front of us. If anything, I think we need to be talking more about the challenges our world faces to deepen our understanding and commitment to solving them.

I agree, enthusiastically, that talking is important, but would emphasize the necessity of having an informed community within which to stage the discussion.  Social networks don’t provide this guarantee.  Moreover, social causes (Hughes’ primary concern) are inherently tied to politics and politicians are expert at executing disinformation campaigns that destroy credible discourse in social networks, inside and outside the Internet.  Talking only matters insofar as the quality of information  can be assured.  Hughes indicates that his new project, Jumo, doesn’t pass normative judgment on the causes people choose to support; while this makes good business sense, I’m not sure it supports the thought that the site will generate social good.  What’s to prevent its takeover by political campaigns or action groups? Is it a good business idea? Yes. Does it provide a platform for social breakthrough?  Who knows.  Maybe part of the answer is that our (a community of socially minded, educated, citizens) focus should be on the development of viable, for profit, business models that support positive social outcomes; or maybe the best approach is to develop an entertaining, informative, media outlet that provides better information than what is currently available; or maybe that’s crazy and the problem won’t be fixed until a better education system is in place; or maybe Hughes is on the right track with Jumo. One thing for certain is that talking about it is valuable and necessary. 

JNOMICS   

I became aware of Chris Hughes (perhaps later than most) from reading this Fast Company article. It’s a great read.