Social Archives - Scott's Thinking

This Putin invasion of Ukraine is the first big new war since Social Media became pervasive. How will this play out?

People on the ground in both counties will be able to be instant, live media. The raw footage can be streamed unedited or it could be highly edited to elicit a response. This would be like our modern mainstream media does already.

People are sharing stories and thoughts on all the platforms. Blue and yellow is showing up more and more. Thankfully I’ve not seen much against Russia in any posts.

I say that because I’m not convinced the whole country is behind this invasion. Sure some may be and perhaps there are many. Though I doubt most Russians would be cheering on the aggressor army.

Some in the army might even be thinking similar thoughts as some of the police and tow truck drivers did recently in Canada. “Why are we being ordered to do this?” “Can’t we let these people be free?” “Who are they hurting?”

Let’s see if the pen (photos and videos) really is (are) mightier than the sword.

Signalling, with intentional consequences or not, is a part of life. Even though social signalling has challenges, people are unlikely to stop doing it.

Wearing a poppy for Remembrance Day is a positive example of this concept. So is laying a wreath. Although there may be a minority of people that are not in favour of either, there doesn’t seem to be a large or growing campaign against these actions.

Our everyday decisions and lifestyle can also have an impact on others. Whether you do something just for yourself, or to be noticed by others, you are sending signals out to the community. This can be as simple as the clothes you wear, car you drive, phone you use and how you earn an income.

People notice, consciously or subconsciously, many things about you, whether you want them to or not. As people, we tend to simplify and generalise to make quick sense of the daily sensory impact. We can then make assumptions about others, based on our lens, our philosophy and how we interpret the visual or other data.

It is usually fine to allow people to express themselves. However, expecting, or forcing, others to conform to your view can be a less effective tactic. It can even have the opposite effect.

Social signalling has challenges.