Do You Copy Or Create?

When the IPhone was first released its functions and features made it different than any other mobile device in the market. Like bee’s to honey every other manufacturer ran to produce their own versions to catch up with what IPhone was offering the market. In other words those who lacked creativity were forced to “copy” what Steve Jobs had created.

During the industrial era manufacturers copied the process of mass production. The consumer market consumed anything and everything produced because the economic stimulus from all the mass production created more expendable income and people wanted more. Then in the 1980′s Japan revolutionized manufacturing and disrupted the market based on lower cost and higher quality. Consumers migrated and US manufacturers had to copy the process in order to maintain or gain back market share.

During this same period of time mass media was the channel of preference given the explosion of information channels offered to consumers. And again consumer opted in to all the mass media consuming information from everywhere and everyone who pushed it. The information age provided consumers with more choices and marketers with more channels to push choices.

A Technological Revolution

The information age was fueled by technology.  Broadcast television, print media and then dissemination of information (media) over the internet created a new phenomena  fueled again by creativity. Those who were first to apply creativity to these changing dynamics won entire markets. Think of Microsoft, Google, News Corp etc etc. Today technological creativity is pulling every industry, institution and global markets into a new future driven by communications that are agile and heavily influenced by the creation of new value ready to be consumed faster than ever before. This new dynamic impacts everything, everyone and creates constant disruption in business processes and market dynamics.

Jumping On The Bandwagon Without Creativity

Today’s craze is all around this thing we call social media. Social media is nothing more than communications but with reach and attraction unlike any other communications technology ever before. Given its “pull” everyone is jumping in to learn about something whose definition and impact changes daily.  Social media has created a bandwagon effect. A bandwagon effect is like a cause or party that attracts increasing numbers of adherents chasing the current trend.  Businesses and individuals are jumping on the bandwagon and following practices of the crowd without thinking beyond the crowd. The crowd is copying practices from those they follow and the only difference is the context of the content running through the system of social media.  Little new creativity, lots of copying with minimal innovation.

What Does It Take To “Create”?

Copying technology practices and content only creates copies.  Value comes from creating differentiation, innovation from originality. The Apple IPhone created innovation which now has an entire market chasing it.  Social media winners will be those that learn to think beyond copying and instead step away from the current bandwagon and create their own for others to follow or copy.

To create a new bandwagon requires you to think by asking yourself the right questions.  Asking the right questions will lead you to new social media directions and the crowds will follow because your leading with new answers. Getting the right answers requires new, rather than old, knowledge. Get it?

What say you?

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