| A change agent, or agent of change, is someone | | | | create strong ties to their membership and to create |
| who intentionally or indirectly causes or accelerates | | | | a strong voice in society. A good example of a non |
| social, cultural, or behavioral change. Because of their | | | | profit which is leveraging social networks is |
| importance, change agents are the object of | | | | appropriately called Changemakers. |
| scientific research. Captology, developed at the | | | | Changemakers is an initiative of Ashoka: Innovators |
| Stanford Persuasive Technology Lab, for instance, | | | | for the Public that focuses on the rapidly growing |
| systematically studies how interactive computing | | | | world of social innovation. It provides solutions and |
| products can be used to influence the mind. | | | | resources needed to help everyone become a |
| Numerous driving forces motivate the behavior of | | | | changemaker and presents compelling stories that |
| change agents. An agent who is constantly adapting | | | | explore the fundamental principles of successful social |
| to new practices is often motivated to find better | | | | innovation around the world. |
| ways to do things. These driving forces may be | | | | Changemakers is building the world's first global online |
| external--shaped by circumstances outside the | | | | "open source" community that competes to surface |
| agent's control, such as the state of society or the | | | | the best social solutions, and then collaborates to |
| seasons-- or internal--from a desire to make change. | | | | refine, enrich, and implement those solutions. |
| A change agent can also be technology. Consider the | | | | Changemakers begins by providing an overarching |
| changes that have occurred in the last ten years and | | | | intellectual framework for collaborative competitions |
| much has been driven by introduction of technological | | | | that bring together individual social change initiatives |
| advances. From the introduction to the World Wide | | | | into a more powerful whole. |
| Web, the rapid dominance of Microsoft, the growth | | | | To keep the framework dynamic, the online |
| and impact of Google and the list goes on. These | | | | Changemakers's community identifies and selects the |
| technological change agents have influenced every | | | | best solutions and helps refine them. The result is |
| sector of society on a global basis. Within the last | | | | global action frameworks, drawing on the work of |
| three years we've witnessed significant explosive of | | | | social entrepreneurs, that seed collaborative action |
| social computing software that in of itself is creating | | | | and visibility on a global scale--making a big difference, |
| explosive change and the extensions of social | | | | field by field. Changemakers's Idea Reviewers are |
| networks is the fastest growing technological | | | | regular contributors of commentary and analysis that |
| phenomena since the introduction of the world wide | | | | ensure lively and rich online discussion. |
| web. | | | | The "open sourcing social solutions(TM)" model aims |
| Social networking is being discovered and used in | | | | to challenge the traditional focus of issues like human |
| many different ways and each new application of the | | | | trafficking and conflict resolution with a broader, |
| medium creates a new wave of change. The | | | | more complete set of stakeholders. As such, each |
| interaction of human and technological change agents | | | | one serves as a platform for building a practitioner- |
| is tapping into the societal cry for change and | | | | and investor-engaged community that sparks new |
| creating non traditional pathways to effect change. | | | | waves of innovation around problems stuck on |
| Social networks are enabling millions to have a voice | | | | conventional approaches. To learn more about |
| on any and all issues and one voice becomes millions | | | | Changemakers go to changemakers.net |
| at lightening speed. The power of the people is truly | | | | The list of other initiatives across all segments is |
| be exemplified and enabled while the impacts of | | | | much too large to share in an article however by |
| these forces are yet to be clearly defined or | | | | now you should conclude the primary point, change is |
| discovered. | | | | all around you. As individuals we have choices to |
| Change comes at different tipping points. The science | | | | make every day as our lives are hit with constant |
| of social networks leveraged by technology has | | | | changes. There is an expression, people don't resist |
| shown that tipping points of change can happen | | | | change, they resist being changed. As individuals our |
| faster than ever before given the enablement of | | | | human nature likes to have some control over |
| social computing tools and reach. Tipping points of | | | | changes around us. The proliferation of technological |
| change are reach when a critical mass of people | | | | changes in our lives over the last twenty years has |
| reaches a level of influence that becomes self | | | | facilitated a human adoption curve to the influences |
| perpetuating and at geometric proportions. This | | | | of change. However the dynamic that is causing |
| phenomena is just being discovered by several social | | | | significant disruption is that we the people are learning |
| network operators whose membership has reach the | | | | to use the medium of social networks for the |
| tipping point of adoption, i.e. Linkedin and Facebook. | | | | purposes of creating our own change which enables |
| The wave of change is awakening corporations, | | | | us to have stronger voices and influence over our |
| institutions and governments to the medium of social | | | | world. This dynamic has just begun but the tipping |
| networks. Everyday dozens of press releases are | | | | point will accelerate changes on the very institutions |
| announcing new social networks being introduced | | | | that have historically controlled the changes that have |
| across literally all segments of business, topics and | | | | previously been forced upon us, the human race. |
| geography. Non profits are also awakening to the | | | | What say you? |
| power of social computing to further their causes, to | | | | |