9 Ways Social Media Eliminates Gatekeepers
In the spirit of Halloween, let’s turn our attention away from the happy, bubbly things of Summer and focus now on one of the most ominous figures ever conjured.
The Grim Reaper? Nope.
Freddy Krueger? Nuh, uh.
Al Sharpton? (Surprisingly, no.)
Good guesses, all. But the evil of which I speak is a much more commonplace entity. But whose scary, intimidating presence is wholly undesirable all the same. Today, we shall shield our eyes and protect small children from:
(cue creepy organ music)
The Gatekeeper.
The person who controls access to the things you desire most.
Money, jobs, audience, advancement, influence, information.
We’re talking about the human resources manager who decides if your resume gets on the desk of the person who could actually hire you, or a one-way express ticket to the round file. The newspaper editor who decides if your prose is one of the few to be published. The receptionist at the doctor’s office who decides if your gaping head wound warrants a race to the emergency room.
The co-op board. The bouncer. The book publisher. The soup nazi.
There’s no surprise that the concept of a gatekeeper sends cold chills down lots of spines. The gatekeeper subjectively decides your value, your worth, and whether your contribution or presence is wanted or unwanted.
Ouch.
And to make matters worse, gatekeeper decisions are based on their own personal preferences, preconceived notions, time constraints, and political objectives. Or how long they were stuck in traffic. And by the very nature of their position they don’t have to explain any of it. Not a lick. Standing guard at the gate, they hold the keys to everything you want.
They wield. The ax.
Scary, huh?
Maybe Target has a viable candidate for replacing those illegal alien costumes.
Hmmm. But wait. Things actually aren’t looking so good for the gatekeeper these days.
Thanks to internet search and social media.
Gatekeepers act as a funnel, restricting the flow of information and access. That’s because all the things you want were typically hidden and protected behind a big, rusty gate. There was too much of you, and too little of what (or who) you wanted. But in the new world, our path to getting those things has evolved.
The whole purpose of internet search and social media is to provide unfettered access to people and information. If everyone still wanted gatekeepers and believed that restricted access was a good thing, or if we wanted to be spoon-fed information and opinions through a funnel, Google search wouldn’t be eclipsing newspapers, Microsoft wouldn’t have bothered to pour millions into Bing, blogs wouldn’t have any readers, and YouTube wouldn’t be taking over television.
I agree with Edward Boches in his recent gatekeeper post that many gatekeepers, such as newspaper and magazine editors, have earned the right to pass judgment through years of experience in their field. They have and they do. But let’s face it, there’s only one New York Times. And one Boston Globe. And one Wall Street Journal. And only one person at a time who holds the esteemed titles of publisher or editor at any given time. But there are probably thousands of people with equally valid knowledge and experience. I want to hear from them, too. And if it wasn’t for internet search and social media, their valuable knowledge and perspectives would be largely hidden.
Gatekeeped into anonymity.
Before the ubiquity of social media, the powers that be decided what got through and what didn’t. They had the exposure, and also the power to expose. Information didn’t get broadcast or printed, unless as the gatekeeper, they approved it.
Let’s face it. That’s a ton of centralized power. Sure, it was by necessity. There was a limited venue. A couple dozen printed pages. Or a 30-minute newscast. It might have been necessary, but was it honestly a good thing?
And what about trying to get through the HR department, or past the doctor’s office receptionist, or around a publishing house?
Good times.
So, are the gatekeepers still needed?
Bring on the money, jobs, audience, advancement, influence, information! We all circumvent the gatekeepers on a regular basis, and the results are the ability to proactively drive our own personal advancement. Social media, internet search, and technology have created a perfect storm for individual power and nearly unfettered access.
9 Ways Social Media Eliminates Gatekeepers:
Getting a Great Job
No need to worry about getting through the HR manager anymore. The person who has the real authority to hire you probably writes a blog, is on Twitter, contributes to online articles, and has a lot of personal information floating around that you can process to relevantly connect and get seen as a tangible asset, not just another resume.
Gaining Public Awareness
Instead of waiting for the local paper to write a story about your cause or hoping the local TV station covers your event, everyone’s doing an end-run: Blogging it, starting Facebook groups, YouTube-ing it, tweeting it, and using any number of social media tactics that allow for immediate exposure.
Publishing a Book
The resources for self-publishing are numerous, and it seems like everyone has an e-book these days. Not to mention Amazon’s new self-publishing service CreateSpace that will print your books one at a time as they sell.
Becoming a Writer, Columnist, Commentator
So many people dream of being a writer, but before the internet there were limited options. And of course, they all involved begging a gatekeeper to get you an interview with an editor, publisher, or news director. Today, everyone has the opportunity to create a blog or participate on someone else’s. Instead of waiting for the editor of a major newspaper to decide if your comment merits printing, you can comment directly to the article online. And if they don’t allow commenting, there’s sure to be a popular “parasite” blog (or maybe we should call it a “para site”) where your comment will reach an audience already interested in the topic. Your ability to turn this into a career is limited only by your drive, talent, and passion.
Being a Talk Show Host
For anyone who ever dreamed of being a disc jockey on a radio station, an MTV veejay, a TV pundit, or a talk show host, those positions have always been extremely limited in number and getting an interview? Nearly impossible. Entry level? Forget it. Someone has to die first. But today, anyone can host a podcast, create an online talk show, and build an audience.
Being an Actor, Filmmaker, or Celebrity
People are writing their own films and distributing them on YouTube. And getting a zillion views. People are streaming live video, letting viewers follow their lives in real-time or episodically. Famous directors are creating interactive shows where they have freedom from the studio gatekeepers (more on that later). And becoming a celebrity? Since the rise of social media (with some props to reality TV), everybody is a somebody.
Getting New Customers
In the business-to-business world, salespeople have to scratch and claw to gain access to decision-makers. But with social media, every minute you invest in building a relationship with a decision-maker is a minute well spent. And decision makers are generally happy to connect, especially with those who share their interests. Or run in the same social media circles. When you have something valuable to offer and believe in building relationships vs. building accounts, your days of cold calling (and trying to wriggle past gatekeepers) are over.
Getting a College Education
Competition to get into the leading universities is fierce. Twenty years ago if you couldn’t get into a top technology or business school, you couldn’t get access to the program at all. Today, open courseware gives anyone the chance to learn the same thing current students are learning. Okay, this isn’t for everyone because self-directed learning isn’t the path of least resistance. But for those who didn’t have access to top schools for whatever reason, the information is no longer a mystery wrapped in a riddle hiding behind an ivory tower. You might not get the diploma, but in our exponential future where individual inventiveness and quality connections will rule the day, your application of knowledge will be far more valuable than the paper proof that says you were exposed to the knowledge. (Except to the gatekeeper. Which you’re circumventing anyway, right?)
Gaining Access to Information
There’s so much healthcare information and diagnosis apps online that patients can now understand their symptoms better and make first-response decisions without being forced to obtain all their information in an office setting. And if your HMO doctor isn’t giving you enough feedback or doesn’t readily mention costly treatments, patients can go home and access that information and take a more proactive and informed role in their health. This also applies to law, real estate, travel, and pretty much anything else that used to require making an appointment and only getting limited access to information.
We live in some pretty awesome times. Getting what you want and living your dreams is now dependent primarily on your own desire and personal motivation. The tools and opportunities are all available. The gatekeepers may still be around. But just like the Grim Reaper without that ominous scythe, they just don’t scare us much anymore.
Can you think of some gatekeepers that are still around? How are they standing between you and the things you want?
Are there any other ways that social media and access to information have eliminated the gatekeepers in your life?
If you’d like to tweet this post, here’s a trimmed link you can copy and paste: http://tr.im/nogatekeeper
