Prince Broke the Internet and the Queen's Social Media Efforts Show the Power of Social Media Marches On

Prince broke the Internet. Sadly, on April 21, 2016 news of Prince reached the whole world -- all at the same time. From CoS: "First he killed Twitter -- inspiring everyone with even a passing appreciation for his music to fire off a tribute -- and then he reminded us why there are some things computers still can't do. As heartbroken fans suddenly longed to hear Purple Rain and Sign o' the Times (and Parade and 3121 and his many other brilliant albums), they couldn't simply fire up Spotify or YouTube to get relief. His Royal Badness didn't get down like that."

Also on April 21, 2016 this headline appeared in my newsfeed: The Queen Is Hiring A Social Media Manager. From MediaPost: "The Royal Household is advertising the job of Head of Digital Engagement with the basic duties: "Whether you're covering a state visit, award ceremony or royal engagement, you'll make sure our digital channels consistently spark interest and reach a range of audiences. With an eye to the future, you'll work to hone and shape our digital communications through sharing best practice, understanding new technologies and stimulating creativity."

Teri Thompson and I wrote The Power of Real-Time Social Media Marketing and McGraw Hill published the book in 2011.

We called out the "POWER" of social media because we saw the profound shift in marketing and communication at the time and believed that power would continue to expand.

We were right. The Great Digital Transformation continues and every single industry -- from politics to pharmaceuticals to entertainment and sports to the auto industry -- everyone is immersed in social and digital.

Add in big data and analytics, plus IoT, and we're on our way to an incredible future of communication and connectivity.

Beverly Macy is an author, educator , and thought leader. She teaches at UCLA Anderson School of Management and speaks around the world on the Great Digital Transformation.