Ever since people began forming groups associated for specific purposes, which we now describe as societies, social networking has been an integral part of life – be it for personal or professional reasons. The 21st century came with the dynamic explosion of globalisation and interconnectedness, however, it was back in 1926 when the Hungarian writer Frigyes Karinthy first proposed the theory of six degrees of separation, suggesting that anyone can be connected to any other person on the planet through a chain of contacts that has no more than five intermediaries. The fast development of communication technologies has largely proven this theory right especially in the last 10-15 years. My generation, for instance, has never really lived without the internet. There is so much demand for different means of communication that we have recently seen the birth of the so called social media, which created many new ways of connecting people virtually.
Not before long, we used to define media as a one-way instrument of communication and a source of information, whereas today Social media implies that the use of web sites and mobile communications provides an interactive dialogue allowing the user to not only to receive information but also to give opinions and communicate with other users. Many companies refer to social media as a consumer-generated media as the cooperation of technology and social contacts create value for the business.
‘Being connected’ is hugely important – phones constantly beeping with email notifications, tweet updates throughout the day and obsession with the number of friends/connection on social networking web sites – that’s what our workspace is like today. In fact the way we work has changed tremendously to make use of these technological advances. Working from home, a café, a quiet bench in the park or at the local pub is no longer a far-fetched idea as the workforce becomes increasingly mobile and socially inter-connected. Social media reflects a lot about our generation’s lifestyle – it is totally new experience, which allows occupiers to get to know a lot more about their clients, business partners and colleagues without the need to meet them face-to-face.
Companies have begun to take advantage of these dynamic changes and as a result occupiers are reducing space and introducing hot-desking. This is particularly useful for small occupiers and start-up companies as they can do business from any location without having to commit to unusable space and lengthy leases. The immense business opportunities arising from social networking allow businesses to expand and contract or find better working practices than the traditional office space can offer.
Social media is not only advantageous to small occupiers. Big tenants could also restructure the way they use space in order to yield the benefits of an interconnected world. BT and HSBC are amongst the many big occupiers who have introduced hot-desking, which has been very successful and saves them millions of annual real estate costs.
The more efficient use of space and the extensive networking opportunities may seem like a drop in the sea for many occupiers to whom the most important advantage of the social media is the availability and convenience of free or low cost marketing and PR, both widely spread throughout the Internet. For instance, a Twitter account allows companies to get ‘followers’ and upload promotional updates or follow customers’ opinions and lifestyles. Facebook is even more cunning in ‘cyber-stalking’ by placing a ‘Like’ button on most web sites, which shares information with all other members. ‘Becoming a fan’ and ‘joining a group’ on facebook is another costless way of marketing and PR, often used by occupier to place adverts, seek opinions/suggestions and create events.
Most of these networks are used to target segments of the market in order to generate a certain PR image. LinkedIn is a professional network aiming at creating business connections – a great way to promote a company or get in touch with other professionals and competitors. Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn are probably the most popular internet networks amongst all occupiers or at least the ones I am using but the list of social media web sites is endless as many are short-lived and perhaps very much a trend. Could anyone remember myspace.com?
Apart from being a great source of free marketing and PR, the social media offers an enormous pool of ideas and knowledge available within one click of the mouse. Moreover, most social networks allow you to propose ideas, discuss concepts, seek and receive advice and cooperate with others, which can generate business not only locally but also globally. Social networks also give us endless opportunities to expand our social and professional circle by making connections through individuals, which could also generate business opportunities. Everyone has heard of people getting a job (or sometimes losing a job) because of certain information exposed online – what a great (and cheap) way to recruit! Going back to the theory of 6 degrees of separation, social media brings individuals and companies together and shows that the world is a very small place as fast communications are easy to use, very cheap (even free) and widely available.
Yes, Social media definitely reflects a lot about our generation’s lifestyle and business culture. Undoubtedly, online social services create opportunities for occupiers in terms of reducing costs of communications and space and in terms of generating business through marketing, PR and pooling of ideas. New technologies and networks have created numerous ways for occupiers get through to friends, colleagues, business partners and clients, yet again, are we not losing a bit of personal touch? We are more interconnected than ever but communication is getting shorter and shorter – how much can you say in a 140-symbol tweet? Although I have always lived in this innovation era, I still cannot believe how far we have gone – has face-to-face communication become unnecessary and can we do business through the social media?
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