I was compelled to write this piece after encountering multiple situations this past week beckoning for me to speak to accountability.

Why is accountability so important?

I can safely say with full confidence that I have achieved little, and perhaps nothing at all without a sense of accountability playing into the situation. I mean this in the broadest sense because there are people that constantly need others to validate and push them, and there are people that are adept and committed to holding themselves to a standard.

I didn’t realize it when I started InspirACTION, but by video taping and publicizing my new years revolution every day of the year found me accountable to each and every viewer. Most days are easy to find the inspiration to act quite effortlessly while others I struggle to find the motivation. This is why I am truly thankful for everyone that has tuned in; because whether you speak up or not you have been absolutely critical to my success. I believe that without the accountability factor, I would have quit a long time ago and never found the confidence to continue.

This is accountability in the sense of achievement, responsibility and even failure (for when we’re held accountable by ourselves or others, we take responsibility and grow from the experience).

What I’m most curious about though is social accountability in regards to the social media space.

Do you remember that “small town feel” your grandparents used to talk about? How everyone knew when Sally and Brent went to the prom together, Betsy had to put her dog down this week, and Joe got picked up downtown by the local sheriff and was hauled in to spend the night in jail for public intoxication? To me, I feel like social media is bringing the small town feel back into play on an epic scale, in a global village. Aside from being able to “check up” (Facebook stalk lol) on people, the news feed delivers all the same updates you’d hear from the gossip queen on your street. Interesting.

I want to take this a step further and point out that people are still getting used to the idea of being held socially accountable on social networks. This is a new thing for us, and so the rules and norms for this space are still being formed. Some people and their status updates right? It’s like “What were you thinking when you posted this??” In the past there were either a handful of people to express your thoughts to in person, and it only traveled so far. With social media, your ENTIRE NETWORK gets exposure and we are held accountable for the things we say.

In the same line of thought, over time, you build a reputation that will stick with you forever. People often forget the persistence of this world and continue to think that the things said in the past are forgotten. I was asked the other day during my first interview on social media, “aren’t you worried about the fakes and the people that may have intentions of hurting you in some fashion?”

My answer? No. This isn’t a realm where you can hide behind the screen name “Quiksilver24” anymore. These networks are persistent, and will grow to hold people accountable for their actions and choice of words. In your “real life” there are face-to-face situations that carry an immense amount of meaning. The experience sticks with you, whether its conscious or not, and you hold the other person accountable through praise or by calling them out. (Which doesn’t really require your expression of such a standpoint to assign a reputation). We’re still getting used to social media being an extension of our “real lives” and that a lot of the same rules and norms still apply in this new space.

Everybody’s ass is on the line. If you don’t play nice, others are going to get wind of it.

What do you think? Does social media hold people accountable the same way people are held accountable by peers, friends, co-workers, family and colleagues offline?

I appreciate the comments and understand this post may be seen as quite naïve. I want to recognize where social media rules and norms might still be catching up, and explore the potential we have for 100% social accountability in the future. Hopefully you can share some light!