The worlds of digital, work and everyday life are converging more and more – and the impact can be seen in ways we never imagined – for good and bad.
1. DIGITAL DEMOCRATIZES……
….fill in the blank. I have heard it said that digital democratizes entrepreneurship, creates more social justice and is behind some significant protest movements – including the rise of the female voice.
It does create a platform on which, to miss-quote Oprah, “one can speak one’s truth” and be heard – probably by likeminded people – as the search engine algorithms skew page results to reflect opinions, thoughts and beliefs closely related to our own.
Nevertheless, like a new puppy barking innocently as it discovers its new ability and likes both the sound of it and the response to being heard, underrepresented minorities are using digital to claim their rightful share of voice. Business, employees and candidates all need to get wise to this, Its impact is showing to be it’s impact it showing to be both far reaching and ground shifting.
This new transparency I hope will prove healthy for all, however, I suspect like the daughters of Lord Grantham, watching how we all behave and minding our reputations will become central to all decisions we make – in and out of work, for and on behalf of our organisations.
2. STAKEHOLDERS WILL FLEX THEIR MUSCLES TO INFLUENCE DIGITAL BUSINESSES FOR GOOD.
In January 2018, Apple investors urged action on ‘smartphone addiction’; in 2017, advertisers pulled YouTube ads when they were found to be appearing next to videos promoting extremist views or hate speech; research by the Children’s Commissioner for England found children were seeking validation from social media.
For me, the most remarkable muscle flex effect was the speed in which All the Money in the World was reshot with Christopher Plummer, when Ridley Scott reshot with the new lead in 9 days.
Businesses will move quickly when stakeholders are not happy and voice that unhappiness.