By Korye Logan
The Killers’ song expresses the feelings of ambiguity of the digital generation
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When Brandon Flowers of The Killers sings “Are we human or are we dancer?” it stirs emotion and leaves us seeking meaning in today’s cold technical world. It’s eerily reminiscent of the moment in 2001: A Space Odyssey when HAL says “I’m afraid. I’m afraid, Dave.” Terms of Endearment dvd The song’s appetent lyrics and robotic guitar riffs seem representative of feelings many of us share about how we communicate in today’s digital world.
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The Killers \"Human\"
Our lives are filled with scenes that exhibit how our digital connectedness actually reduces intimacy – perhaps even meaning – in our lives. We sit in restaurants with family and friends, but we’re often not present. Rather our attention is on portable electronic gadgets. These devices beep with mostly meaningless messages from marketers, work associates and updates from our “social” connections.
The lyrics of Human speak to our uncertainty of who we are and how we’re connected.
“Will your system be alright when you dream of home tonight?
There is no message we’re receiving.
Let me know is your heart still beating.”
Flowers’ use of the word “system” speaks to dehumanization, while his choice of the pronoun “we’re” Legends of the Fall references the collective nature of our communication. This is exemplified in the ubiquity of user generated content on message boards, blog comments and Twitter streams. Even the lyrics of the song cannot escape collective commentary in this discussion thread.
The reach of this song is somewhat significant as I learned on a personal level during my family’s visit this holiday season, I found people in my family from three generations who like The Killers and the song Human. Looking at YouTube, a simple audio only version of Human
has nearly five million views and over ten thousand comments.
Research indicates that our social networks have limitations. Anaconda 3: The Offspring video
An abstract released earlier this month by HP’s Social Computing Lab covers the topic of relationships on the microblogging network Twitter. Social networks that matter: Twitter under the microscope by Bernardo Huberman, Daniel Romero and Fang Wu was published December 8, 2008. The researchers found that:
“Twitter users have a very small number of friends compared to the number of followers and followees they declare. This implies the existence of two different networks: a very dense one made up of followers and followees, and a sparser and simpler network of actual friends.”
Reach for the Sky dvd My experience on Twitter is similar to the findings of the HP research. What began as a fun shared experience with a small group of friends has evolved to an overwhelming mass of 140 character feeds from people I don’t really know. Once my network grew beyond Dunbar’s number
of about 150 people, it became less intimate, less meaningful.
download American Pie Presents Band Camp movie There is still value to my Twitter network, but it is certainly different. The information I Tweet today is less personal, as I feel a community responsibility to “broadcast” content that adds value. When I had a smaller network comprised more of actual friends, I felt free to Tweet about my personal life. My experience today on Twitter is less human. I am now part of the collective dancer.
Does this change what marketers should do in social media?
Companies must understand and respect the individual experience to effectively participate in social media marketing. This is not a new epiphany, but it is an oft overlooked principal in a discipline that places too much emphasis on technology and not enough on psychology. Advertising legend Claude Hopkins understood this truth in 1923 when he published Scientific Advertising.
“The advertising man studies the consumer. He tries to place himself in the position of the buyer. His success largely depends upon doing that to the exclusion of everything else.”
When you lead a brand’s effort into social media marketing, remember that you are communicating with humans – not a “target segment.” This speaks to the critical importance of accurate personas and effective feedback loops in your digital marketing programs. There is immense value in one-to-one conversation. People trust other people much more than they trust brand names. Listen to what people are saying in your marketplace. HEAR what people are really talking about. Then guide representatives from your company to become active participants in meaningful market conversations.
In 2009, be more human in our collective community dance.
