Twitter, Facebook and CB Radios

Chuck Raasch wrote an interesting piece on USAToday.com on Monday comparing Twitter and Facebook to the CB radio fad of the 1970s. My parents basically met one another over CB radio, so I can see some truth in defining the medium as the social network of that decade.

On a more serious note, though, Raasch contends that the medium was not the message, meaning that while the CB radio helped generate the response of the American public to the major events and headlines of the 1970s, it did not make or define the age. The moral: as individuals, we are not unique because we can tweet, share video, or meet remotely on the Web, but "because of what we say and do when we are in these new spheres of human interaction," Raasch writes.

I think the same can be said for our government: it is not unique because it can adapt to the latest tools and trends, or to how a younger generation wants to communicate. It will be unique because of what it can potentially accomplish through those tools -- a more efficient, transparent and collaborative workforce that collectively makes our nation and world a better place.