Who would have thought that YouTube would start to modify people’s behavior? It may sound nuts, but people are thinking twice before they do things now, for fear that they’ll be “YouTubed” and come off as:
a) less than noble
b) dishonest
c) a complete jerk
Inspired by the story of this guy at Dunkin Donuts who thwarted a robbery because he was worried how he might look on YouTube, I got to thinking….
How would corporate decisions change if a YouTube video was installed in every conference room? Would different decisions be made? Could YouTube change the world for customers?
Jeanne,
Wow, I had read that Dunkin’ Donuts story. That shows how pervasive YouTube has become.
I think if everyone expected to be “Youtubed” on a regular basis, people would act differently (at least at first). We have cameras here at work, but it doesn’t seem to make people not be themselves.
I do think if we started to YouTube ourselves, we’d get tons of hits. We’re a pretty funny group! We constantly joke that someone should tap into the system and upload video to YouTube.
This scenario is eerily reminiscent of “Big Brother” watching us. I can almost hear the “do-do, do-do” of the Twilight Zone music.
YouTube is basically the modern-day version of Art Linkletter on steroids. If we all thought that others could be watching us, I imagine that many behaviors and actions would be different.
Elaine,
Art Linkletter on steroids? I remember Art, but not sure how many others do
Jeanne
Good question. Most certainly it’s just a question of time.
And then you get all kinds of control on that and just few years from now you have a perfect world where no crime is commited because everything is being tubed…
Am I getting into sci-fi now?
OK, being serious – I think it seriously changes behavior. Yet long-term changes would be interesting to see. When everyone gets used to it and “unusual” behavior (like throwing chairs arround) even doesn’t matter anymore… hmh…
Sure, some people might take an extra second to consider their behavior if they felt there was a risk of being videotaped. But based on my non-scientific observations of the human race, it seems like most don’t care if their most intimate/disgusting/embarrassing/offensive acts are shared with the world (as long as it doesn’t harm their career & earning potential). Hell, you can’t have a career in Hollywood nowadays if you don’t have a “secret” sex tape in circulation. And how about all those cellphone conversations you overhear & wonder, “doesn’t she care that total strangers now are privvy to details of her sex life/medical history/etc.?” Do you mean to tell me that there’s a hidden majority of self-conscious souls out there? I hope you’re right, but my non-scientific hypothesis is that few are younger than 30.
I exaggerate for effect here, I admit. Color me cynical, but we live in an exhibitionist world & good judgment isn’t high on the list of the Internet generation.
Well, Jeanne, I guess my Art Linkletter reference certainly places me as a labelled Baby Boomer!
Patricia, don’t you think that more and more companies are “Googling” job candidates today? Somehow the people that expose it all online don’t seem to be credible job prospects. Call me old fashioned, but how many employers are open to that?
Jeanne, what is often thought of as “behind closed doors” is often aired out as dirty laundry (ex: HP’s board meetings and deliberations- Carly vs. Tom Perkins). Bottom line, be on your best behavior because you never know when or how the latest confidential document or board meeting minutes suddenly goes missing…
Elaine,
You and I are in the same Boomer boat!
I agree with you that the transparency of social media and all of the outlets make it pretty easy to find out the 911 on just about anyone.
My question is, doesn’t it seem that just doing the right thing for the sake of doing the right thing has ebbed away? I’m not a cynic –I’m a hopeful — but it seems that the motivation for good behavior has shifted. What do you think?
Paul,
You’ve pointed out the thing that is becoming more prevalent – “do the right thing or you might be exposed.” This, to me, is disturbing.
True, job-seekers may wise up — perhaps they’ll learn the hard way. Same thing for corporate baddies, as Paul points out. But people are still people, and they will continue to act on impulse, do what feels good & try to beat the odds. Eliot Spitzer didn’t think he’d get found out either.
Hi, Jeanne. I agree with you. The motivation for good behavior has shifted. Maybe we were a repressed society previously, but there was a better sense of decorum and respect. It often seems that no one cares anymore and we’ve become a western world of “me, me, me.” Is this the result of a society in decay?
I love it- YouTube is now thwarting crime through the fear of shame. How ego driven is our culture that we only consider a good deed becasue of how we might appear on a pop culture website.