what if?

Social media has reached a point of such universality, it is imposing the ancient dynamic of political discourse on the rest of society without society’s consent, often over strenuous objection.  Media used to be a choke point in that ancient dynamic – no longer.

That begs a question – how would the world be different if this dynamic had been in place, just as universally, at other times when media once played its choke point role?  Just a few examples….

What if Tylenol users had Twitter in 1982?

In 1982, someone injected cyanide into bottles of Tylenol capsules, killing seven people.  The case is still unresolved.  What would have happened if it occurred in today’s social media environment?  Would fewer people have died because of, say, Twitter?  Possibly.  Would Johnson & Johnson have avoided a medium term collapse in market share?  Probably.  How would the long term impact have been different?

What if Dr. King had viral video in 1961?

The leaders of the civil rights movement made a conscious decision to subject marchers and protesters to brutal treatment from police, because it would get their cause on national television, and thus put pressure on legislative change in Congress.  When deciding how many people had to be arrested, or beaten, or tear gassed, the leaders of the movement answered – whatever it takes.

How much more quickly would change have come if today’s social media environment existed before the Montgomery Bus Boycott?  Or if one of the beatings of the Freedom Rides in 1961 were put on Youtube that night?  Would the brutal march across the Edmund Pettus bridge in Selma 4 years later be so famous today?  How many fewer people would have suffered?

What if company towns had the internet in the 19th century?

In 1904, Ida Tarbell wrote one of the most important books in American history, detailing the ruthlessness of John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil.  It was the beginning of the end of Standard Oil, and a definitive moment in trust busting at the turn of the 20th century.

What if Standard Oil’s competitors, or the big trusts’ company towns, or their employees, didn’t have to wait for Ida Tarbell to be assigned the story by her editor?   What if they had blogs, or Facebook, or Iphones?  What if people could Tweet from the floor of a 19th century sweat shop?  What would the competitive environment for American business look like today?

What if Gandhi had a Facebook page in South Africa in 1893?

As a young lawyer in South Africa, Gandhi cut his teeth for the struggles he would face in his homeland.  Gandhi not only witnessed the early days of apartheid, but suffered under brutal discrimination himself for being Indian.

What if Gandhi updated his Facebook status while he was in South Africa?  What if someone videoed Gandhi getting thrown from the train in Pietermaritzburg in 1893, and put it on Youtube?  Gandhi’s experience in South Africa molded his entire approach to non-violence – how might that have been different if it all happened in a social media environment?

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