Mind-Bending Parallels Between The Matrix and Social Media

I was working on my computer the other day (big surprise) when something unbelievable happened. You’ll never guess, so I’ll just tell you.

I got a message from Neo. That’s right, that guy we thought was a fictional character played by the increasingly delicious Keanu Reeves – he’s real. Turns out the Matrix trilogy is all based on a true story. At least in so far as the world of social media is concerned.

Basically, Neo asked me to spread the following message – if you’re in the world of social media, you are being sucked in by the Matrix, and you need to break your way free. Thinking that I was of a far inferior intellect (this from a guy who says, “Woah”) he then broke this down for me and asked me to do the same for you.

You’re ignoring the real world

Neo reminded me that before he met Morpheus, he thought everything was cool. That was before he found out he was a pod person living on a destroyed planet. He said he has noticed that people who become deeply involved in the world of social media seem to have a similar problem grasping the real world versus the illusion that social media creates. For example, if you live in the world of social media, you might think that you can do nothing but drink coffee at Starbucks and still make a profit. You might think that measuring ROI is like measuring the ROI of your mother (clearly ridiculous in the context of the real world). You might think that doing nice things for other people is a great business model.

Neo says that these things are akin to him believing he was okay in his regular ho-hum life and job. But, he reiterates, he was a pod person living on a destroyed planet.

Woah.

The Agents Don’t Want You To Question Things

Neo wanted me to point out that the more he tried to break through the Matrix, the more agents came after him (he denies that seeing Hugo Weaving in person was a turn-on – my legs turn into jello just thinking about it). Anyway…

The more he questioned things, the more powerful and persistent the agents became. Neo suggests that this same dynamic exists in the world of social media. There are people who want you to believe certain things, like the idea that everything except social media “is dead.” If you argue with these folks or try to prove that they might be on the track, you are apt to be called a “hater,” a “drinker of the haterade,” or “president of the hater club” (I’ve actually never seen the latter but I feel it would be a nice twist). Sometimes, begging to differ can result in you being at the wrong end of a bloggy flash mob, all of whom are proclaiming your hater status. All of this seems to encourage people to NOT speak out against ideas that might be flawed.

Neo wanted me to say that he was giving a very knowing glance in his alternate dimension. I’m not sure what he meant by that.

The Good and the Bad in Dealing with Morpheus

Finally, Neo wanted me to point out on his behalf that there were advantages and disadvantage to his relationship with Morpheus. Morpheus is the one who helped Neo break out of the Matrix, and for that Neo remains grateful to this day. However, Morpheus also led Neo in some directions that weren’t as beneficial. Laying the whole “messiah” thing on Neo’s shoulders in rapid fashion put a lot of unwanted pressure on the poor guy (he wants you to say “aww” at this point).

Neo suggests that when you find your Morpheus in the online world, it can be easy to follow them blindly. After all, they were right about the Matrix thing so they must be right about other big things, too. However, even people with the best of intentions can lead you down a path you don’t want to travel on. Neo suggests the best way to break through the Matrix is to think for yourself and follow your own guidance.

He also suggests buying some VERY shiny black leather trench coats, but I’m not sure that is entirely necessary in this case.

Do you have any messages you’d like me to pass back on over to Neo? He said he’d be welcome to help me answer any questions or comments, although he can’t divulge too much about his dimension, and he hopes you’re okay with that. If you’re not, well, he can pretty much kick your butt, so I’d just nod and say a-okay!

I’ve written a new e-book called The ABCs of Marketing Myths. You can read about it here!

Image Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/trinity-of-one/20562069/ via Creative Commons