The other day while driving in my car it occurred to me that "the information superhighway" is such an appropriate term for this wonderful thing we call "The Internet," although for a completely different reason than originally intended. In the 1990's, as the Internet first started reaching critical mass, the ability to navigate through millions of web pages was very similar to a crowded highway. While it has only gotten more crowded, the superhighway now takes on a new meaning around social media influence.
One of the first things I learned in driver's education class was that on the road, everyone is equal. It doesn't matter if you're in a Ferrari or a Chevy Nova, your essentially barreling down the highway in a giant instrument of destruction. This is no different with computers; no matter how one accesses the Internet, whether it be a fancy new MacBook Pro or a seven-year-old Compaq, we're all the same. There are many companies out there trying to tell you otherwise by placing arbitrary influence scores on you, but at the end of the day, it all means nothing.
The power of social media is that it's the great equalizer. If you have a connection to the web and something to share, you can literally change the world. Those that risked their lives in Egypt to share their revolution with the world were not allowed to do so only if their Klout score was higher than 40. If you can share it and people can search it, your words, images and videos are just as powerful as someone with 1,000 times the followers or "influence score." Sure, just like the shiny Ferrari, those with the larger networks may have a faster ride to their destination, but don't ever think that what you have to say isn't as valuable as any "social media guru" or "Internet celebrity," because in the end, getting hit head-on by a Chevy Nova at 70 MPH is going to hurt just as much as it would if it was the Ferrari.