Consider the following scenarios that have occurred using social media and social networking applications:

• Stephen Fry Tweets from a stalled elevator: hundreds tune in and respond, garnering some mass media attention
• LeVar Burton asks for a good hangout in Toronto and a bunch of Twitter users flock to the location (reference – Globe and Mail article)
• E-Mailing Seth Godin and getting a short, pithy response to your message, sometimes within minutes
• Shaq(uille O’Neal) Tweets from a location and a few brave souls drop by to say hi
• Connecting with the rich and famous via MySpace, Facebook, etc.
• Following the social media accounts of politicians (Prime Minister Gordon Brown, President Barack Obama) or political operatives (Karl Rove)
• For that matter, interacting with microcelebrities (Robert Scoble, Veronica Belmont, Loic Lemeur, etc.) is a popular pastime with many social media users

What do all of these scenarios have in common?

People are using technology to leapfrog degrees of separation.

But here’s the thing:

Why do some of the rich, powerful and famous bother connecting with people who aren’t, especially one-on-one without barriers or handlers? Why does the reverse remain true?

I think that there are several reasons why celebrities (micro or macro) are extending a hand over rigid, established networks to connect one-on-one with people outside of their normal networks:

Self-promotion/ego

Let’s start with the negative – some people will get a kick out of seeing (or imagining) people’s reactions when one of their “idols” reaches out to connect with them, if only for a moment… This isn’t a benevolent kick; it’s more condescending or manipulative. Some people would just see this kind of activity as a form of self-serving PR or promotion, especially if they have an assistant who actually does most of the work.

Loneliness, boredom, or frustration with barriers between them and the rest of the world

A common plot element in some stories is when the prince or princess dons a disguise and sneaks out of the castle to go interact with the common folk. As kooky as this may sound, it’s conceptually similar to a pet that’s kept locked up in a cage, tied on a rope, or kept behind a fence. People can become lonely, bored, or frustrated when they have a fixed environment, handlers, and routine which they cannot escape. Social media can give them a way to escape, if only temporarily. Don’t you feel this way, too, sometimes?

Curiosity – sampling new waters

Everyone likes to try the cool new thing. Most people do, anyway.

Common interests or experience

The rich, powerful, and famous are (normally) human beings with normal (usually) interests. Some of them like information technology, like you and me. And, also like you and me, if we find out that someone else is interested in something we like, then we have something to talk about. At present there are probably more people outside of their networks who like and use social media than inside. You go where other interested people are hanging out (virtually, for the most part, but obviously LeVar Burton does it literally as well).

Gratitude

Some people are genuinely interested in connecting with other people who like their work. Social media/social networking make it much, much easier (and safer) to do this than it is to connect in person.

Can you think of any other reasons why hard-to-get people might want to use social media to leapfrog over any existing degrees of separation?

Other posts that you might enjoy reading:

• The microcelebrity mix-up or Role Model 3.0 revisited
• Building up someone by tearing down another works – not