GoodnightEntrepreneur

Virtual tribes

My friend recently became father for the first time and he uploaded the pictures of his newborn baby girl and introduced her to his entire group of friends via facebook. The world as our parents knew it have changed and digital technology are more integrated in our way of living than ever before.

It has also redefined our social life.

Today, people are seeking out virtual groups who have common feelings, causes, and ideals; groups who validate your own belief system. We are forming global ‘virtual tribes’ without necessarily going outside of our immediate environment. We use information to click and connect with one another and to link to people who share our interests.

Through virtual tribes we satisfy the age old human need namely to belong.

These tribes have potential power and have brought about significant changes that are important for entrepreneurial businesses to take note of.

Firstly, they have made word of mouth a very powerful marketing tool. People rely strongly on the recommendations and opinions of the people they trust, the search filters they trust and the social networks they trust because they advise them well. People today have become “blind” to traditional mass marketing such as TV advertisements.

Secondly, virtual tribes and the Internet have created a new kind of celebrity: a micro-celebrity. Cnn.com stated that fame is no longer about getting 15 minutes of fame; it is about becoming famous to 15 people. And this kind of fame is attainable by almost everyone and every business on the Internet.