A D V I C E
Making Change Tips from faculty members on how to transform the world
Corinne Weisgerber Assistant Professor of Communication
Peter Beck Assistant Professor of Environmental Science and Policy
By Robyn Ross
PHOTOS BY Abi Justice ’04
E X P E R T
Ralph Gohring Adjunct Instructor of Human Services
Social Media: Getting in on the ground floor
The Environment: Using it, not abusing it
Business: Staying ahead of change
Do social media really change the way we think and write? A few months ago in Britain an Oxford scientist and Parliament member suggested that prolonged exposure to social networks might rewire kids’ brains and erode their attention spans. We don’t have enough research to substantiate that claim, but it’s safe to say that social media have had, and continue to have, a tremendous impact on our cultural and social life.
How have our attitudes about environmentalism changed as a country? Forty years ago, environmental concerns were seen as a niche interest. We have been gradually moving toward viewing environmental quality as an integral component of quality of life that needs to be incorporated into public policy decisions. This increasing awareness has also led to a backlash against environmental interests.
What are organizations likely to forget when making changes? That change is a process, not an event.
How can a person make money in this field? Amazingly, the social media job market seems to have grown despite the worldwide recession. We’re now seeing jobs and job titles that didn’t even exist a year or two ago — online community managers, blogger outreach specialists, social media experts and new media managers. What’s the “next big thing” in communication technology worth embracing? That’s tough to predict. I doubt many people would have expected Twitter to become so popular when it was first introduced. I do think that we will see a move toward a truly semantic web — an Internet where computers will be able to understand the meaning and context of the information they are compiling to give us better results.
What are simple changes people can make to protect the environment? Simply buying fewer things would mean fewer trips to the mall, which would reduce greenhouse gas emissions, air and water pollution, solid waste and the need to transform open space into additional shopping centers. Moving your thermostat down just two degrees in the winter or up two degrees in the summer can save about one ton of carbon per year. Multiply these actions by a few of the 300 million Americans and the impact can be significant. Individual actions, however, are not a substitute for wider institutional change such as moving from fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy.
What’s the first question people have when they learn about a change at work? The first question is always, “How will this change affect me?” Some managers make the mistake of wanting employees to accept and act on changes in an organization without answering that question. Employees need to know what a change means to them personally or they will resist it. How should employees treat change when it affects them? Don’t believe the rumor mill. Don’t assume the worst. Do always seek the best information available, if it is not offered. Do always have a Plan B.
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