Devoid of Vision and Voice

LinkedIn is a curated network focused on professional interests.

Twitter is also a curated network, for me, focused on professional and personal interests.

Facebook is largely a digital representation of a family and friends network.

When I login to LinkedIn each day, I have a highly reliable expectation that I will learn something meaningful from that network. I also know that if I share my work, it will get due consideration for its merit and value to my network.

When I login to Twitter each day, I know the general feed will be interesting. However, I don’t use Twitter by scrolling the feed. I have focused lists created over many yrs with great value. If I want crazy, I click on the feed or Explore and hold on tight.

When I login to Facebook, it’s an absolute apocalyptic hellscape. If Sam Sanders pulled quotes from my FB feed today and presented them to me 20 years ago, there is no way I’d believe some of that garbage was coming from friends and family.

Clearly Twitter can be a hellscape, too. And LinkedIn is getting some crazy creep as well. But Facebook is nothing but crazy. There is absolutely zero value there for me. But as someone starting a new company, I wonder whether it is a place I have to remain for that purpose.

My only conclusions in pondering these digital social networks is that we have misplaced the importance of strong norms and mores.

Norms and mores have always changed with the times. But it seems this active change is rudderless.

One might suggest that this is a result of two issues: 1) leadership gaps and failures; and 2) erosion of local and national civic organizations.

The first sets and serves as keeper of a vision.

The second embraces that vision to serve their neighbors and community.

I’m searching for an artful conclusion to this thread… something mind-blowing and original. But all that keeps coming to my mind is JFK and the moon speech.

Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon 50 years ago yesterday.

But JFK’s vision rings …

There is no strife, no prejudice, no national conflict in outer space as yet. Its hazards are hostile to us all. Its conquest deserves the best of all mankind, and its opportunity for peaceful cooperation many never come again. But why, some say, the moon? Why choose this as our goal? And they may well ask why climb the highest mountain? Why, 35 years ago, fly the Atlantic? Why does Rice play Texas? We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too.

This speech is all about collective action around a shared vision or goal. But even more, it embraces the possibility of discovery when we set forward together. It says, have faith in humankind. It says that unimaginable creations will result and benefit many just have faith in this vision and collective action.

There is a void in our world. It is waiting … we are waiting … for a voice and vision.

Until then, be mindful of the noise and what you add to it.