Networking and INTER(NET)working

“It is not what you know that matters; it is who you know” – Robert Kiyosaki

“It pays to network. I always say that if you aren’t “networking” you are “not-working”. Whether it’s socially or professionally, people who network are able to stay in touch with the real world.” – Donald Trump

It is no secret the world has evolved from the industrial era of mass-production to the age of information exchange. Everyone knows this, but have we switched from mass-production mode to information exchange?

More than ever, networking becomes paramount as information exchange simply means networking! While the 20th century merchant could indulge in controlling supply chains (popularly known in the 1900s as sole distributorships), the 21st century entrepreneur could ill-afford to play the same game. More so in an era where everything from news to furniture to toiletries to clothing and even food seem to revolve around the internet! The beautiful dream of controlling supply chains is simply – dead!

Changing paradigms

Realizing the growing irrelevance of the old model, savvy entrepreneurs started to look into new paradigms. Central to this idea is a shift from purely distribution, to introducing something new, something unique to the market, what has become commonly known as creativity.

Nevertheless, the penetration powers of the internet and the supersonic speed at which information is transmitted quickly made this a futile attempt. In no time, markets become inundated, subsequently saturated with ‘creative’ ideas of all sorts, many of which are evidently copies of other models. The world is no longer foreign to the engine room of replica goods that is China. Creative enterprise becomes at best, an infill into a transitional phase.

Piecing the jigsaw

We now have loose pieces of a jigsaw. Networking, information exchange, internet, creativity, digital & social media, if properly pieced together, tells a picture of the future. Networking has always been a cornerstone for many great success stories since antiquity, in an era where information exchange takes centre stage and defines value, more than being an ingredient for achieving the extraordinaire, it has become paramount to the accomplishment of any sort. I would believe sometime in the future, it would be as critical as to ensure the survival and acceptance of oneself in society.

The internet phenomenon, together with the ‘internet-isation’ of digital and social media created more and more opportunities for networking and socializing. Some of these opportunities were never available before this. My parents and those from their generation could hardly visualize how it is so possible to be chatting with friends across geographical boundaries at the fingertips (or mouse clicks). Add in other social networking media like Facebook, MySpace, digital medias like YouTube, MetaCafe, all of a sudden, you discover a wealth of opportunities never known to be possible before.

Getting set for change

Life rewards those who dare to venture, and defy conventional thought. They are called pioneers. Just how could we make sense of, and create our position amid these changing paradigms, is a test of our willingness to grow, and our flexibility in adapting.

It is not about capabilities anymore. That is a production term, something that belongs to the industrial age.

It is all about possibilities, will power and the desire to stay relevant.