Maslow and Social Media: Esteem Needs
Social Media : Companionship, Closeness, Connection and Community
The ideas of companionship, closeness, connection and community are at the very heart of Social Media. I organize a couple of Meetup.com groups and I am a member of several others. The Hiking and Photography Meetup group I created has over 400 members with various skill levels, from beginner to professional. What strikes me most though about our Meetup group is not that we have so many members, (group sizes generally range from 8-22 people) but our ability to quickly connect with each other through our chosen interest. That level of companionship and community is what brings us together and is consistent whether we’re hiking at Sturtevant Falls on one weekend or picnicking at Griffith Park Observatory on another. This also happens with two entirely different sets of members within the same group.
Esteem Needs
If the need to be respected and to respect others exemplifies the category of Esteem Needs, then Social Media is very much a vehicle for these as well. However, this can be a gray area for many as we have seen countless incidences on Social Media sites where the need for personal attention overshadows the need to make a personal contribution to others. That is, if contributing to others is your focus for participating in Social Media in the first place. This can be a primary challenge for people and businesses just starting out in Social Media. The question to ask here is simply, “Why do I feel the need to participate in Social Media?” The answers can be very revealing.
Over time I’ve realized that for me it serves as a way to not only bring people together with similar interests, but I find that people are actually growing as photographers along the way. I enjoy watching two people who never even knew each other 1 hour prior to meeting, learn from each other and help each other out. It’s an experience that I hope they can enjoy and carry over into our next Meetup event.
Next: Maslow and Social Media: Cognitive and Aesthetic Needs
Tags: esteem, maslow, Meetup, social media
September 3rd, 2009 at 11:12 am
[...] my search for an answer, I stumbled upon a blog post by social-media consultant Ray Schiel, who I believe summarizes social media’s need for esteem perfectly. Ray explains, “If [...]
September 3rd, 2009 at 11:37 am
[...] my search for an answer, I stumbled upon a blog post by social-media consultant Ray Schiel, who I believe summarizes social media’s need for esteem perfectly. Ray explains, “If [...]