What Influences the Tools that Influence You?

Does viral marketing work on YOU? Does any marketing work on you, for that matter? The idea of the “Third Person Effect” is so amusing to me, yet it is so true. The effect states that if someone asks an individual, “does this type of marketing work on you?,” then that individual is likely to answer that, “oh no that definitely doesn’t work on me… but it could certainly work on other people.” Ironically, I think that most people would deny reacting in this way, but there is no doubt that we all do.

In class we discussed this topic as a leeway into the Padovani article. Padovani was a local citizen, participant, and observer in the L’Aquila social movements. After a devastating earthquake struck the city, the government decided to choose that location for the G8 summit to highlight the town’s solidarity. Critics argued that the location was chosen to showcase their reconstruction efforts to the global media while simultaneously keeping closer surveillance on the G8 protesters. Nevertheless, the town, despite its history of political control (versus the Italian North’s history of democracy and citizen participation), rose up together in a movement that incorporated not just ICT tools, but, as Padovani highlights, individual and peer-to-peer connection and mobilization techniques. There were various types of tactics that were chosen, all nonviolent (although conflict arose between militant and non-militant protesters), which included a silent march, signage, various other social forums, etc.. One main focus was on the MediaLab.

One of Padovani’s main points is in the need for interpersonal connections and ideas behind the use of media itself. Media is just a tool, and as in the Third Person Effect implies, media and ICTs are used to influence people and are not effective by themselves. Padovani argues that the traumatic event mobilized the citizens and promoted democratization from below through their use of public spaces and various communication tactics.

I think that other examples exist in our readings too as various authors discussed the topics of social movements and the need for the motivation behind a movement and technology use. Those who argue that technology is the answer for a grand utopia and change in the way in which citizens mobilize and express themselves are generalizing and are overlooking the fact that these are just new and modern tools.

We covered a range of topics this week… but I personally keep coming back to this idea of how people can influence others with the assistance of tools, and how people may not necessarily realize that they are being influenced. Whether through interpersonal connection and the MediaLab in the case of L’Aquila, or through the momentum of a social movement and the ideas that drive it, people really are affected by the messages they receive, and I would argue that it is the people and the ideas that are behind them, regardless of the technology that they are presented through.