Are you avoiding social media?  Maybe it makes you anxious, “I might say the wrong thing or it’ll make me look bad or worse…”    Maybe you find it confusing.  At times, it all seems so chaotic.   I know that’s how I feel often feel about it.

Hang on, though… What if a child had those feelings as they entered the playground?   Do they leave the playground or do they venture forward, finding their way?   The child experiences and learns through play.

Why as adults should it be so different?  Is social media not just another playground?  What if we reserved part of our social media experience for play, for experimentation?

The idea of learning through play hit me the other day when I was chatting with Lina Guevara, founder of Puente Theatre.  Puente Theatre is an innovative theatre company in Victoria, BC that helps new immigrants learn the ‘local rules’ by giving them a voice, a way to shape their understanding of their new environment, through theatre play.  Its a way to learn how to deal with the new conflict, in their life.

“The aim of learning is to integrate thinking and doing.”  (Roger Fisher of ‘Getting to Yes’ fame)

Learning the “rules” of social media must be experienced.  And this is consistent with the new training/learning paradigm; first get feedback, then formalize goals & rules.

Here’s some of what I think participation in the social media playground offers us:

• new relationships; social media is the new “town squares”, a place where many of today’s conversations, and conflicts, are taking place, and a place to build and work on relationships, personal and work-wise
• structure and chaos;  social media is a place to experiment with structure and chaos (alas, real life), and explore ways to mediate the differences (and yes, avoidance is an option)
• communication skills development; participation can be incremental, and in the smallest of chunks… prime yourself for success – make your participation regular and plentiful and turn your efforts into a habit
• adaptation skills development; beyond basic human courtesies (don’t spam, be humble…), there is no established library of rules… the medium is evolving; your participation is a fabulous opportunity to further your capacity for adaptation – a survival skill in a digital world, applicable in so many ways
• risk management; the risks of participation in social media decrease every day, as participation is/becomes the norm
• rewards management; the rewards of participation in social media decrease every day, as participation is/becomes the norm
• play is a hallmark of creativity and innovation; by extension, its good for your business
• our nature; we are social animals and everyone is already connected – through social media, aren’t we just being true to our roots?

Social media; we tend to hate it and love it.  It’s a paradox.  It’s also child’s play.

Do you see social media as an opportunity to re-connect with your inner child?  Say more… leave a comment.

photocredit: areyoumyrik on Flickr