Building a network effect and impacting our communities is a critical aspect of marketing and gaining influence. Social media platforms and other communication media have grown exponentially in the past several decades. The developments have had a significant social impact. The impact of Facebook groups, social media influencers, podcasts, and other forms of media have also connected us professionally. As a result, we can reach more people and relay our message better than ever before.
Metcalfe’s Law
The challenge is that the network effect positively and negatively influences our lives. Consider an innocent detail of technological wisdom known as Metcalfe’s Law. Robert Metcalfe is a coinventor of Ethernet technology and cofounder of 3Com, a company later acquired by Hewlett-Packard. Metcalfe proposed that the value of a network increases with the square of the number of network users. The number of users immensely increases the value of any network.
One Instagram account, for example, is worthless. Two IG accounts are worth only a little. But a network including thousands of connected Instagrammers is worth billions because now all those people can send one another’s images, messages, and updates. Metcalfe’s Law, however, can lead to many issues. As the cost of communication decreases, the number of interactions increases exponentially. Unfortunately, so does the time required to process these interchanges.
The Orthodontist’s Time
Greater interchanges in social media platforms, email volume, and continuing interactions are valuable for connecting us. But this growth of communication reduces deeper connections and consumes our time incessantly. The digital noise around us has grown to the point that burnout and stimuli have become serious issues within our society.
As orthodontists, we find that the digital work and network effect in many of our interactions create immense problems for us. Work towards reducing the noise and distractions designed to keep us immersed in our devices and beholden to notification pings and alerts. Focus on the resources that add value to your life and career while protecting yourself from distractions that keep you from your productivity, family, and significant aspects of life.
