Four hundred years ago, Italian astronomer Galileo Gaililei unveiled his newest innovation: a 3x telescope. This would enable him to prove a theory that would have profound impact on humanity: the Sun is the center of our solar system, not the Earth. I believe there to be parallels between this discovery and social media.
The date was August 25, 1609 when Galileo, the chair of mathematics at Italy’s University of Padua, presented an improved version of a Dutch telescope to the city-state government in Venice. It’s worth noting he did not actually invent the telescope as many mistakenly believe (he improved on an earlier design). Even so, the discoveries he made using this new device were astounding to the citizens of the early 17th century:
- Jupiter had moons of its own
- The Moon was not smooth, but filled with rocks and craters
- Mysterious artifacts surrounding Saturn that were later proven to be rings
- Venus had phases where it appeared and disappeared like the Moon.
This last discovery arguably had the largest impact on our history and our sense of identity. It proved the astronomer Copernicus’s earlier prediction that our planets orbited around the Sun, not the Earth. As human beings, we no longer were the center of our universe. In an instant, our world got smaller and our universe got much bigger.
With appropriate respect to the great scientist, I see parallels with Galileo’s discoveries and social media:
- Like the telescope, we use tools like Facebook, Twitter, and blogs to expand our vision. We peer into conversations in an attempt to discover where we fit in the minds of consumers.
- This process of discovery is about losing the egocentric view that your company is the center of the universe.
- In order to make his discoveries, Galileo not only had to discard a lot of superfluous visions in order to hone in on what exactly he was observing, but also look beyond bright or otherwise distracting sightings trying to grab his attention. Our task in analyzing conversations and implementing social media strategies is remarkably similar. To find what truly inspires consumers, we must often discard extraneous chatter, ignore shiny “flavor of the month” tactics, and remember that “influential” does not always equal “loudest.”
Galileo’s observations were ongoing. In fact, he actually saw Saturn’s rings appear and disappear twice over a period of several years. To truly have an impact, our work in social media must be ongoing as well. truly effective social media strategy is not a one-time flash in the pan, but instead a commitment to continuous provement over a period of time.
What do you think? Is there a correlation here?
Tags: Galileo, observations, science, Social Media
Excellent analogy.
It warrants admiration that at some point, Galileo, who grew up in a time when the body of people understood the universe to act in a certain way, stepped back and asked, “What if everyone is wrong?”
Galileo was punished for drawing conclusions from the evidence he gathered.
In some very important ways, that aspect of human nature hasn’t changed. We reject that which challenges the “consensus” of society and scientists (though he was just advancing a theory introduced by Copernicus shortly before his death).
Those who do it are made to be outcasts – fearful of speaking their minds in an open forum because someone might disparage their character.
I will say, though, that tools like Facebook and Twitter, et. al. are crude. The information is there, but it’s as diverse, as complicated, and as blurry as the universe Galileo must have observed through his relatively primitive telescope.
Interpreting the results correctly takes more than the tools. It takes methodology. It takes discipline. And, at times, it takes luck.
Telescopes and social media… just tell me when someone is going to invent a replacement for the computer keyboard!!
Cam — “The information is there, but it’s as diverse, as complicated, and as blurry as the universe Galileo must have observed through his relatively primitive telescope.” I put it much more inarticulately than you did, and I really like how you expressed it. When you look through a telescope, it’s too easy to get distracted by the shiny objects you see in front of you. As a kid, I once thought a very bright lamp in a faraway house was a planet! *grin* Galileo had to learn to disregard the shiny stuff he saw right in front of him in order to get at the real truth.
I think we do the same with social media and what we euphemistically call conversations.
Elaine — Did you ever see “Minority Report”? How is this for your computer interface? It turns everyone into a Georg Solto or Erich Kunzel (may both rest in peace).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwVBzx0LMNQ
I saw the film, and no, I’m not ready for that kind of interface. Although I wouldn’t mind having the capacity to learn something new in an instant by downloading a program, as in The Matrix.
Well, in 1615 Galileo was reported to the Roman Inquisition and even though he was cleared the Church condemned the concepts he espoused. It set back science by centuries. Let’s hope we don’t have the same medaling from the “powers to be” with the Internet and social media. I mean, already local governments in the US are trying to figure out how they can get their piece of the tax pie from ecommerce and some world governments and special interest groups are attempting to censor information they disagree with. Maybe these “powers” are no longer the center of their Universe.
Thanks, Michael. This is one insightful post that leaves the reader pondering after.
Well, I guess I would have to agree to what Elaine said.We would have reached a newer phase in social media if it is time to replace the keyboard as one of its tools.