Social Media Technology is History in Motion

I’m a technology evolutionist. Granted I just made that up, but it fits.

I don’t believe new technology is just created -- I believe it evolves, with each innovation building on the other. No printing press, no iPad. These technologies are from different centuries yet share the same DNA.

And like technology, content evolves too:

-- Radio started with low-quality programming — but better content (and a world war) drove mass adoption

-- Television started with little original programming, mostly re-purposing radio serials — but better content and Madison Avenue made TV must-see

-- Then came the Internet, which began with grainy postage-stamp sized video and the Star Wars Kid. Now we have Old Spice, “amateurs” making HD-quality videos and former presidents doing live Q&As on Facebook

Media is about sociology and not technology. As the stories we tell get better, the mediums we use will adapt and interfaces will morph to meet modern cultural demands. Better content will drive scale.

I know it’s cliche, but the technology “revolution” is just an evolution. What we are experiencing today is nothing less than history in motion.