Here’s a secret – American Idol helped convince me that social media was changing the world.
The idea of a shared online experience, that people around the world, including those in my social network, could watch and react in real-time to a big event on TV was something that stirred my traditional media heart.
That original moment of watching American Idol and being floored when Kris Allen beat Adam Lambert, then watching Twitter (still just flirting with the mainstream) flood with cheers and moans and other comments was informative. If we could come together online in these red-hot moments of popular culture, we could be together during moments of importance.
In the years and months that follows, we were together during bad weather, revolutions around the world, elections, births and deaths.
All of that came to mind in the past few days with the death of Whitney Houston, the rise of basketball star Jeremy Lin and last night’s Grammys.
Social media is now an inexorable part of any news that shakes our personal foundations, bringing us sadness or joy. When we experience these moments, we are flocking to the web to add our voice but also to find comfort or support in the voices of others.
Does it make a difference to the world whether your posted “RIP Whitney” on your Facebook wall? In the grand scheme of things – no. But being one more stream in the river of information that defines our nation and shapes how we collectively lean on each other.
If that’s the least of what social media does – apart from the rich and deep business applications – then more power to it.