The Power of Social Media
In the space of just one week, 47 year old Susan Boyle 0f West Lothian, Scotland has taken YouTube by storm. The latest count is over 33 million views since her stunning performance on Britain’s Got Talent earlier this week. She is already a front-runner and favorite to win the competition and they haven’t even gotten through the audition stage yet. Move over Paul Potts!
Already there are several fan sites up and running with clips of interviews she has given the local news agencies since her meteoric rise to fame. I had to smile to myself watching one of the clips. The interviewer was so bad it was comical. With the speed that this story has hit the world scene, the small town local reporters have no doubt been caught off guard and will likely find that they have to brush up on their skills in a hurry.
I must admit I have probably watched this video about 100 times. I can’t seem to get enough of the reaction of the audience, the judges, particularly Simon Cowell and the hosts of the show to say nothing of her stunning rendition of I Dreamed A Dream from Les Miserables. The clear lesson: Never, ever judge a book by its cover.
But I am curious…what is it about this woman that has people flocking to YouTube? Is it that we truly want to see the underdog triumph or is it that social media applications like Twitter and YouTube have made her story instantly accessible and we now have the opportunity to share in the experience and contribute to her success and notoriety by proliferating the links? Would we have known about her or been this enthusiastic if these applications didn’t exist…? Social Media has allowed us to shed light in every corner of the world and to actively participate in stories as spirit-lifting as this one and I think the answer is a lovely combination of the two.
Whatever the case, as Oprah Winfrey said: It doesn’t matter who you are, where you come from. The ability to triumph begins with you. Always.
May Susan Boyle be a shining example of that! You Go Girl ! And we clearly want to help you get there!
What do you think?
While physically located in Newmarket Ontario where Joanne lives with her family, she is virtually yours anywhere….
I agree Yiana. It appears that many brick and mortar companies are slow to grasp how powerful Social Media can be in helping them grow their business. As a Virtual Assistant I can help them evaluate and implement the Social Media applications that best suit their environment. Thanks so much for your comments!
Social Media is here to stay! It is the fastest, cheapest way for any business small or big to become known. For those who have been in business for many, many years, Social Media is something new and uncomfortable to grasp right away, but if done consistently and with a little patience, businesses will start to see the results.
Jacob, I totally agree. Obama knew that he needed that demographic and his campaign committee was very clever to use Social Media to reach this audience. No doubt this lesson has been learned and I think you can anticipate a deluge of information via this medium in future campaigns. Thanks for the comment.
Isn’t it amazing how powerful the internet can be? Have you seen the new stats? People ages 18-34 are spending 4 1/2 times as much time each day in social media sites than they spend on tv, radio, and newspapers combined! Some people even attribute Obama’s successful campaign to his social media presence. He is the most followed person on twitter.
[...] Original post by joanneburgess [...]