15 Twitter Years: 2009-2024
One dog year is equal to seven years as a human being. I spent 15 Twitter years. Wonder what that means…
I joined Twitter on 18th of July 2009. I was going to take up a new role as the Chief Learning Officer of Wipro. I signed up because I just liked the idea of sharing a point of view in 140 characters.
140 Characters - that's it
There was a collective groan from all writers who were used to writing long form content. 140 characters trained the world to be precise. I was in a new role as the Chief Learning Officer of Wipro. I thought it was a game changer in the world of learning. You did not need to be invited. You could just follow anyone and learn from anyone.
Tell me briefly what you want to share: People started recommending a list of people they follow. That was the Follow Friday. Those lists helped me discover amazing people from across the world and keeping the Following limited to 25 people helped me read all the interesting things they were thinking about. I would search on a Hashtag # and the world opened up for me. Ideas on steroids is what Twitter was. That enouraged me to write a Monday Mailer to the employees with a 50-74 words summarizing a book that caught my attention. Being relevant was not enough. You had to be engaging and entertaining. Expanded networks meant job offers happened on Twitter.
The definition of news changed: The newspapers suddenly were facing competition from Twitter. People could live tweet what was happening. You did not have to wait for the next morning to get the news. Even radio and television could not cope up with the speed of a tweet. That gave rise to the digital divisions of newspapers. Inside the corporation, the leaders were forced to wear their opinions on their sleeves. Twitter democratized content creation and audience reach.
Accountability on social media: It was easy to follow anyone - no invitation was needed. That triggered a great shift in accountability. The world could track where someone in power slipped up. And when someone lied or denied anything, there were enough people who had taken screenshots of the old tweet (so deleting the tweet was useless). There are no secrets any more. Anything that happened even behind closed doors could potentially show up some day when it was least convenient for the accused. It made the leaders pause.
Hierarchy and influence got divorced: It was easy to organize around a cause. The Arab Spring in 2011 or the Black Lives Matter movement were all live tweeting. I was traveling to Mumbai on July 13, 2011 and there was news of three blasts that rocked Mumbai. The Twitterati were at their best. From finding car pools to appeals for a certain blood type were all on Twitter. That same ability to organize trickled in to organizations as the power shifted from the boss to the employee. Influencers were shaping choices and behaviors. Leaders are now expected to demonstrate higher levels of empathy and emotional intelligence. Employees with a voice now had a platform for organizing and advocacy. Everyone from the President and Prime Minister and superstars had to be on social media. There was no choice.
Influence and hierarchy got divorced. “How many followers do you have?” was a conversation starter in job interviews.
What is reality and what is fake?
It has not all been rosy and amazing. The digital divide has increased. Scams, trolling and doxing have become easier in a connected world.
1. Spread of Fake News: The rapid dissemination of misinformation and fake news has become a significant problem on Twitter, often leading to widespread panic and confusion. Erosion of public trust in information sources, authority figures and increased polarization. The presence of bots and trolls on Twitter can skew public opinion and manipulate discourse.
2. Proliferation of Deep Fakes: The use of AI-generated deep fake videos and images has increased, making it difficult to discern real content from fake. That means enormous potential for severe reputational damage. Protecting your personal brand is a new skill we need to build. The rise of cancel culture on Twitter has led to individuals and entities being publicly shamed and ostracized, sometimes without due process.
3. Cyberbullying and Harassment: Trolling and death threats are a tweet away. The casualty has been the individuals' mental health and well-being. Psychological distress often leading to self-harm or suicide has been an unfortunate by product on leading our lives on Twitter. Doxxing is the act of revealing personal details publicly leads to personal safety being compromised.
4. Echo Chambers and Polarization: Twitter’s algorithm can create echo chambers where users are exposed mainly to views that reinforce their own beliefs. That has led to increased political and social polarization, reduced exposure to diverse perspectives.
My take in 280 Characters
Twitter's value lies in its ability to connect diverse perspectives and foster real-time dialogue. While it can amplify voices and spark movements, it also risks spreading misinformation and harassment. Navigating it wisely means balancing open discourse with mindful engagement. #Twitter15Years #SocialMedia
Stuff that made me think
Summer Fridays no more
When I worked in New York, I used to look forward to Summer Fridays. There were lots of free summer concerts that happened in various parks. The concerts are still there but now there are not enough office goers stopping to catch a few notes. Employers are pulling back on letting employees sign out around lunch on Fridays.
Only 11% of employees said their offices offered “Summer Fridays” in 2023, down from 55% in 2019, says Gartner. Why? Because employees are working from home on Fridays
https://www.nycgovparks.org/events/free_summer_concerts
Bloomberg Businessweek did a post on whether the 4 day week would kill productivity? Companies With a Four-Day Workweek Have Lessons for Those Exploring It - Bloomberg
Is the 4 day work week possible practically?
Three big take aways in the article
Senior managers work long hours every day including on weekends. That indirectly forces everyone else to follow suit. Change must begin there.
Find new measures of productivity beyond someone just clocking hours. We all know people who make it a point to leave after the boss leaves!
Rethink roles and work processes and reduce meetings. That should happily free up a LARGE chunk of time. Give it back to employees.
This is a sketchnote I had made during the Covid Years. I discovered it yesterday.
My take in 280 characters
AI is revolutionizing the workplace! 🌟 As we embrace a #FourDayWorkweek, it’s crucial to rethink employment practices designed for the mass production era. Let’s harness AI to boost productivity and well-being. 🚀 #FutureOfWork #AIInnovation
The Aspiration Pyramid of Tech Talent in India
In my weekly show on Talent & Tech, I had Kamal Karanth the Co-Founder of Xpheno the staffing and recruiting firm to talk about the Aspiration Pyramid of tech talent in India. Here is what the looks like. This time we dug deeper into the opportunities for careers in the Global Capability Centers. This is a thriving area of opportunity. <Watch the conversation>
Till we meet next… take care