I saw two talks on social media today.

They were both steeped in some pretty obtuse theory (to me, anyway), but I managed to take away from them a small lesson about online presence.

The first talk was Mark A. McCutcheon’s (@sonicfiction) on the copyfight, science fiction, and social media. It dealt with science fiction authors and fans (who have been some of the most self-mobilizing people since the beginning of the Internet) and how their work reflects the state of the online world, copyright, and privacy rights. Most importantly, McCutcheon drew my attention to a great quote from BoingBoing editor Cory Doctorow:

“What kind of artist thrives on the Internet? Those who can establish a personal relationship with their readers–something science fiction has been doing for as long as pros have been hanging out in the con suite instead of the green room.”

The second talk was Clint Burnham’s (@prof_clinty) talk on Twitter and Lacanian theory. Basically: we hate our neighbour because we can never know him. He reminds us of ourselves, but represents the other (psychoanalysis–yeesh). Carry the neighbour theory over to the online world, and now you know why you’re so uncomfortable with your online identity, and calling your Facebook friends, “friends”.

McCutcheson is right to point out that people like Cory Doctorow thrive in the online world. Their own world and views reflect their Twitter and blogging presence. He’s the kind of guy who has spent his career “in the con suite instead of the green room”, and he has profited immensely from it, selling creative commons books and editing one of the biggest blogs in the world.

The people who thrive on social media are the people who build their presence there (Cory Doctorow) and not the people who force their real-world presence online (any faceless corporate Twitter account). It seems things only get Laconian when you draw your real-world identity into the online realm. Simple, but valuable.

More talks tomorrow, including some social media and communications presentations. Stay tuned. -@TravisBoisvenue