SWIMMING UPSTREAM: Go forward or be left behind

by KAMMIE HOLDERSocial media networks are defined  as the various activities that integrate technology, social interaction and the construction of words and pictures. This new dynamic has created an environment where communication, collaboration and coordination exist without any barriers.Power is given to individuals who compete with institutions at an unprecedented level. Institutional containment as we know it no longer exist. Barriers to trade no longer exist as we know it. So what does this mean for the traditional business institution? Ultimately the importance of the web is coming to fruition, it is the final communication platform.  Power is given to institutions like never before, to out distance their competition, by breaking down communication barriers between their employees, their customers and their suppliers. We all have the power to create personal networks/tribes to coordinate effort and accomplish anything.  Thomas Friedman said “what can be done, will be done”.  There is nothing standing in our way. Personally, I use Facebook, Twitter and blogs to reach my tribe of followers who in turn pass on my information. Social media, peer to peer communication has created tremendous opportunities for innovative distribution of goods and services. I encourage you to embrace and leverage communication, collaboration and coordination platforms. Institutions and individuals alike all have access to a world of new opportunities. This may be difficult for Bajans who wish to hold unto the past rather than embrace the future with optimism. It requires us to forget what we think we know and look at our circumstance dispassionately and objectively. The world is moving forward and the Internet is here to stay, get onboard or be left behind.Finally, let me provide a brief on three popular social media networks. Linkedln was founded by five friends in the living room of Reid Hoffman in 2002, and is currently worth US$1.3 billion. Twitter, a social network and microblogging site was founded by the trio of Jack Dorsey, Evan Williams and Biz Stone in 2006 with an estimated current value of US$1.4 billion. Another social media giant is Facebook which came into existence on February 4, 2004. Facebook initially started as an internal friendship network for students of Harvard College by Mark Zuckerberg. Currently it is worth US$11.5 billion. What are our technology and computer science students at University of the West Indies producing?•Kammie Holder, the boy from the village who has embraced social media is now on Twitter