“Technology” is the problem

An overly focus on “technology” or platform seems to make our strategies partly blind to the richness that exists within the walls of digital media.

In his latest post Mark Earls references thoughts by, amongst others, Russel and McLuhan concerning our misinterpretations and misuse of new world media and communication.

The post ends of with a quote by McLuhan:

“we use new technology as if they were old technology “

I do believe McLuhan is on to something… He is both right, at the same time as he exemplifies the problem in his statement…

Looking at consumption trends in media one sees that people, and especially youths, are increasingly using the digital channels as conversation arenas. At the same time media buyers and advertisers continue to treat them as media channels
.

It’s like the telephone call, it’s a conversation. Now marketers wouldn’t interrupt a phone call, but they try hard to interrupt social media – figure that one out?

I think the problem is an overly focus on technology (as McLuhan also is concerned with)

. Technology is only a facilitator of format, it has got little to do with the communication itself. People see the technology (“the Internet”) and forget to identify the context of the communication they are trying to influence or interrupt.

It would be helpful to admit that same or similar technology can facilitate a richness of context for communication. To stop choosing marketing strategy based on platform and become much more fragmented in what we do.

In the new world we need to focus on becoming valuable conversation topics, inspire valuable ideas, not interrupt existing ones.