Onward, Young Sharer
(pre-copyedit version)
We're living through the emergence of a complementary form of information distribution through social technology tools, one that has the potential to shift and, in many cases, dissolve the information hierarchies that have existed for thousands of years. The Web is just now starting to realize some of its disruptive potential, and the digitization of our social networks give us a huge amount of potential to shift power dynamics away from those hierarchical constraints.
We each have a significant contribution to make to that shift, and sharing our stories with one another on the tremendous scale that social networks provide is the place to start. The events, opinions and experiences we choose to share matter not just on a hyper-local (within the tighter parts of our social networks); they also have ripple effects through others' networks as they spread. You may remember, for example, an upstart long-shot presidential candidate with a funny name from 2008, who harnessed the energy for change found in social networks… and won. World-changing ideas start with a few individuals sharing with and relating to one another.
But before we can call smooth sailing into the world of social networking, it's important to understand that there are structural and cultural biases that keep everyone from participating. Without everyone's voices participating, our next great leap towards progress is in serious danger.
