Social Value and Virus Growth ​

Lyel's lecture provides a business perspective to look at our technology driven products, which is absolutely a great component for this course. Having worked in a start-up, the most critical challenge we faced is not about technology - there are always chances to hire experts with higher salary. It is matching clients’ conscience with the company and eventually form a collaborate relationship that becomes the obstacle for most of the start-ups.

To address this challenge, finding a connecting point between technology and society is critical, which will help us define the value of the product. This semester, I took a business class "Digital Marketing", which covers the topic of using virus marketing technique to drive subscription growth. It is worth notice that not all intricated designed virus techniques work. Instead, what really triggers people’s desire to share or argue is the content that strongly match or mismatch with their values. A user boom may comes from one sentence comment from a celebrity. Back to 2008, Oprah’s one line comment, “It's absolutely my new favorite favorite thing in the world”[1] triggered a tremendous user boom. Why? Because Oprah sees it as an environmentally friendly investment. The virtue that a product creates for society becomes a critical factor in its acceptance. The win-win situation tied with a value that resonated with many environmental consciousness.

In conclusion, for the beginning of designing a technology-driven products, and the key to thrive, it is imperative to find the intersection where technology meets societal values. Lasting value comes from shared purpose and vision, and vision comes from the critical eye towards society.

Reference:

[1] https://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/oprahs-favorite-new-gadget/all