I’m still on my high from Walter Isaacson’s book on Steve Jobs. The high is so great that I decided to buy his book on Albert Einstein. Currently, I’m not done with the book yet (I’m only on page 110). I’m an SEO guy; I keep getting lost when they try to explain what the difference between blackbody radiation and the invisible ether.
My heart goes out to this guy [Einstein]. He was no older than 25 years old, couldn’t get a job, graduated at the bottom of his class, and couldn’t get any of his papers published. In a way, this reminds me of me.
Back then (1910-ish), in order for you to be someone, your work had to be published. The communication of your brilliance was limited by the media outlet that would publish your work. In fact, I think Einstein only had a handful of outlets to submit his papers to. If he burned one bridge at a media publisher, his chances of getting published severely decreased. As a child of social media and WordPress, I can’t imagine what this must feel like.
So there he was, 25 and unpublished, getting rejected at every turn of his career. A few years down the road, his papers started getting published, and we all know what that led to … He changed the world! But, what if all his ideas were not blocked by the media publishers. What if every time Einstein had an idea, he could tweet about it or conduct a TED Talk? What if Einstein had his own blog, Facebook fan page, and Twitter following…
Follow Me on This One (Theory)
How much innovation is lost because the thought leaders of our time are not using social media correctly? How many CEOs, educators, scientists, doctors, politicians, and leaders are losing out because they don’t “Get It.” Who is losing out, the professional who doesn’t get it or the collective globe that will never hear the idea?
Tweeting, blogging, and Facebooking is still mystery to most industry professionals, innovators, up-and-coming Einsteins, and community leaders. I’m lucky to be knee-deep in this innovation on a daily basis. Again, I’m lucky to be blessed with the ability to allow companies and individuals harness the true power of content and social media.
Keep Following Me on This One (Theory Continued…)
How many students are in our universities RIGHT NOW with the answers to today’s world problems? These students are studying physics at Kenyon College in Ohio and have ideas of great importance circling around their head. They spend most their time working on college papers and ignoring the true genius that’s inside of them. They are not building social following or blogging. Heck, some of the science “geeks” still don’t have Facebook accounts. (They should! My FB stock is still falling. Come on, people, get on it and click on some ads!)
What if these students knew how easy it was to start a blog? What if they understood that all it takes is one blog post to get picked up? Do you think that one blog post can change the world?
I fear that our educational system is slow to teach out youth the importance of social media. Our generation has busted down the idea that media publishers control the power of voice. Do our students understand this? Sure, there will be one Einstein in every generation. But, I have a gut feeling that there are 10,000 Einsteins out there right now, and their ideas are being silenced by the noise of today.
My Challenge To You
Brilliant people are one of two things: They are either stubborn or have big egos. You don’t have to ask a person with big ego to be a guest poster or to blog, they get the idea and love it! But, let’s focus on the stubborn people and the students.
Do you know any brilliant people who are thought leaders and will not admit it? These are the people that you talk to every day and are inspired by. Do you know students or professors that have groundbreaking ideas but keep them to their selves? If so, it’s up to us to change this.
I challenge you to push them, get them to write blog content. Get these people to publish their ideas on the Web and the open world. Also, I challenge you to ask the educators of your students, “How are you teaching our kids the importance of social media?”
Einstein challenged authority every chance he had. He did this through his reasoning, thought experiments, and his drive to question what has already been accepted by the masses. If Einstein was alive today, I bet he would utilize social media to the extreme. He would create an army of people that shared his vision … to further mankind.
The importance of the social media revolution, told through the words of TED.com (Ideas Worth Spreading)
- Evan Williams on Listening to Twitter Users
- Don Tapscott: Four Principles for the Open World
- Clay Shirky: How Social Media Can Make History
- Howard Rheingold: The New Power of Collaboration
