“In order to optimize for social media you can’t just address the technology, you have to look at the cultural shift that is happening. Businesses need to realize that collectively and globally our priorities are very different than they were ten or even five years ago.” ~ Tac Anderson

I love when I find a quote that really packs a punch about what’s really going on.

Like a lot of digital junkies, I write my fair share about the digital space and the business opportunities it presents. I love the creativity behind new systems and tools, not to mention many of the tech inventions that have emerged in the last few years.

But perhaps even more than the tools themselves, I am fascinated with and by the changes that are happening on a deep and often overlooked level as a result of their existence. Because behind all these wonderful new gadgets and toys and software and stuff, what’s really going on is something much bigger and more profound than the next iPhone launch could ever hope to be.

In the race for more fans and followers and higher rankings and closing deals, too many people in the social media space are missing the tremendous shift that is happening right in front of them. And it is in this shift where the real power lies.

What’s Really Going on Behind the Shift

Babies are born everyday into a world where their in utero photo was featured on their parents’ Facebook page and Twitter feed. An entire population will grow up in a culture that will think nothing of documenting their lives online because that’s just the way it’s always been — for them.

Yet because those babies are still, well, babies, we who have been around longer and can remember life before Facebook and iPhones and texting are living through what is arguably the biggest cultural change of our lives.

And it’s driving a lot of us crazy.

Crazy good, crazy bad, crazy inbetween. But crazy is as crazy does and believe me, out there in the world beyond the screen and keyboard, a lot of folks are feeling crazy.

Take Diane as an example. Diane is a successful small business owner who thinks that posting mundane things on Facebook twenty times a day is ridiculous, if not absurd.

“I don’t care whether or not you just made lemonade from the lemons you grew on your tree in the backyard!” she says, rolling her eyes. “What’s the point? Why can’t we just have a conversation face to face like normal people?”

Some would argue that the point is, there is no point, and that’s okay. Others would offer that sharing is what social media is all about, and good news is more fun to share than bad, however minuscule the good news may be. Still others would suggest that conversing through cyberspace is the new normal. Finally, some would agree wholeheartedly with Diane, proclaiming their disdain for social media and all of its nonsensical fluff.

The arguments are more often than not generational, with the younger set falling into the former arguments and the more mature set siding with Diane.

But Diane represents a growing population that has a desire to discover what all the digital fuss is about, and how it might prove useful for any number of things, including growing a business. Now that it’s pretty clear social media is not the fad many early dismissers proclaimed it would be, people like Diane are looking at it and wondering how to use it in a way that makes sense for them.

Transitions Take Time

Being on the outside of anything isn’t fun, but being on the outside of the digital revolution can be downright overwhelming. The techie tools and systems available to us have become so integrated into so much of what we do, if we aren’t participating, we feel left out, outdated, irrelevant even. But it’s not enough to participate for participation’s sake. That approach rarely works.

Underneath it all, we are still as human as we’ve ever been, albeit a bit more attention deficit than previous generations. Somewhere between tweeting about the lettuce on our sandwich and getting together with friends and colleagues for a sandwich lies the answer.

People like Diane know they need to implement some of the newest tools and systems into their businesses, but they don’t know how. Yet Diane and people like her bring to the business and cultural table years of wisdom and experience their tech-and-tool-savvy children and grandchildren haven’t yet developed.

It is precisely at this intersection between the fundamentals of being human and the power of digital tools that is ultimately what’s really going on. Those babies being born today and growing up in the digital world will still need to learn how to interact with others live and person. Such lessons must be taught by those who are older, more mature, and experienced. At the same time, tech newbies need to learn how to navigate the digital world so they feel empowered. As of now, this task falls on the shoulders of younger folks.

2013 and Beyond

The explosion of social media (and all things digital) is but one touch-point of a much greater change happening. 2013 is already shaping up as a year in which all things digital and social continue to meld together. New tools, new programs, new ideas will emerge at a rapid-fire pace, leaving many people exhilarated and breathless.

It’s an exciting time for all of us as we embrace new systems that give us greater reach, leverage, and influence. At the same time, it’s important not to overlook the opportunity to connect on a face-to-face level as well with people who can help us achieve our goals. We just need to slow down long enough every so often to address what’s really going on so as we move forward, we do it in a way that is not only successful, but meaningful to all who participate.