If someone told the 5-year-old me -- who had just immigrated from Iran to Vancouver -- that one day, I would have this palm-sized tool that would let me connect with the whole entire world, I would have cocked my untamed little Persian eyebrow and said, "Oh, really now?"
That someone would proceed to tell me that this magic tool would, within seconds, let me voice my opinion, rally around the things I believed in, bring attention to things that mattered and learn about just about anything with a whole community of incredible people.
Even at that age, I would be hard-pressed to think that such a world would be possible. Alongside many, I was born in a place where your opinion is not something that you should or can share with everyone -- or anyone, for that matter. I was born in a place where politics, ego and inequality are the power in question. Many today still call such a place home and do not have the luxury to tweet about their lunch, the cool new thing they found online or a cause they are supporting. They cannot find their long-lost friends online, connect with new ones or keep tabs on developing world issues.
If you are reading this article, you are lucky enough to live in a world where you have Internet access and can digest new information, share that information and be part of a growing collective.
My startup, Lovesocial, has seen just how powerful social media can be. We have worked on campaigns ranging from the global clean water crisis, to the threats of hydraulic fracturing to emergency relief after the flood in Pakistan. We have worked with companies to be better through social media, to learn how to create a two-sided conversation and to balance value propositions.
We wanted to create a short video that would put the power of social media in perspective. We wanted to do this for a few reasons.
Firstly, since the time I started Lovesocial, we have seen an alarming saturation of spam and unthoughtful communication in the social space.
Secondly, I am petrified that we are forgetting just how special this pocket in history is. Today, for the first time in human history, advertising is not a one-sided conversation. The community openly participates in the conversation and can chime in, pushing companies to be better, policies to be iterated and conglomerates to be smarter. Individuals have the open option to gravitate toward the things that we actually need.
Every individual has a power of magnitude that is awe-inspiring. I hope that this video reminds you of just that. Without further ado, we present: "You've Got the Love(Social)":