Marketing in the Participation Age: A Guide to Motivating People to Join, Share, Take Part, Connect, and Engage

Chapter 9

D + E + C = P2

Participation

Participation is powerful. The active process of people joining, sharing, connecting, and engaging manifests in many different forms. The new forms of self-expression and creativity that technology has unleashed have brought with them behavioral changes, as well an evolving throng of new expectations. The examples around us are plentiful, thought provoking, and, in some cases, even mind-blowing.

YouTube is only 13 years young, and despite the fact that Google acquired it in 2006, it still employs fewer than 1,000 individuals. As it has evolved over the years, YouTube has increasingly become a real-time reflection of what is happening in the real world. According to the company’s Trends manager, Kevin Allocca, “Nearly everything that happens in the world plays out, in some way, on YouTube.” YouTube Trends tracks this phenomenon by posting a scrolling list of the top videos of live events as they are happening. From earthquakes to sporting events, elections to riots, millions of participants are capturing live events as they occur and sharing them with the world. The rise of mobile has had a dramatic effect as more and more participants carry a video camera in their pockets, capturing even more events in real time. This differs dramatically from having to wait for newspapers to receive “official” reports of the day’s or week’s events. In fact, more and more “official” newsmakers are setting information free in real time in order to then receive ...