This document summarizes and discusses several perspectives on the impact and implications of WikiLeaks and increased transparency enabled by technologies. It discusses how WikiLeaks has changed expectations around privacy and accountability for both public and private communications. Commenters note that it will become increasingly important for organizations and individuals to ensure their private communications and actions are consistent with their public statements and values. The document also references how increased transparency might impact management practices and force outdated institutions to change.

1. Interaction
Six Social Media Trends for 2011 Lessons from WikiLeaks
HBR blog post by David Armano, December 2010 HBR blogs, November–December 2010
In answer to that ubiquitous question “What will social media be- Julian Assange’s endeavor to
come?” Armano, senior vice president at Edelman Digital, forecasts disclose classified documents
further integration, tablet wars, social media schizophrenia, the return has altered the way many of us
of the company website, and the innovative moves by Facebook and think about privacy, technology,
Google. Then our readers weighed in with their own ideas of what’s in transparency, and diplomacy—
store for the amorphous world of Web 2.0. and a lot more. But how is this
monumental shift going to affect
Right now, companies share and popularity can be management thinking?
general information, regard- gamed (faking the number
less of different users’ needs. of Twitter followers you “How WikiLeaks Changes Things for Us
Companies will adapt, per- have is a perfect example All,” by Carne Ross “Thanks to WikiLeaks,
sonalizing tweets or posts to of this). Influence is about you can now expect that day to come when
specific users according their regularly engaging people your most private and candid communica-
preferences. on topics and influencing tions will appear for all to peruse. In prepa-
Cláudio Trovisco, CEO, Trovidoce action. Oprah, for example, ration for that moment, you better make
does this with women. In sure that your private dealings match your
social media, thousands of public declarations.”
Monetization will become the mini-Oprahs influence their
largest social trend. Ghosts of peers, friends, and family It is even more daunting to think that
the dot-com era are coming back to haunt to act. So we need a better understanding we will be judged on what we choose
CMOs as eyeballs (otherwise known as (and better tools) to measure influence in not to say. Our espoused values must
likes and followers) remain the sole metric the digital space. be matched by both the statements we
used to evaluate success. Our challenge commit and the ones we omit. In some
is to credibly measure and advance social Social media will be a driver of employment ways, being held accountable for the sins
marketing’s impact on real outcomes and as businesses outsource social media. The of omission will be the bigger issue in a
stop repeating the sins of the past. challenge will be ensuring that messages corporate environment.
Jeff Bodzewski, director of social marketing, are within the borders of the brand. Julia Kirby, editor at large, Harvard Business
Aspen Marketing Services Waztech Review
This year we’ll reject false influence metrics In 2011 people will begin to realize there are “Why WikiLeaks Matters More (and Less)
like Twitter followers and find hidden few shortcuts with these sites—it’s “social” Than You Think,” by Umair Haque “The
influencers. media, not “robot” media. real scandal might just be this: There are
Ian Greenleigh, Social media manager, Resercom few secrets bigger and more terrible than
Bazaarvoice the ones that are hiding in plain sight. The
The author responds: You can auto- ones we ignore, sweep under the rug, and
The author responds: As we begin to mate only so much. The key is creating won’t, don’t, or can’t discuss.…Here’s the
understand context more (putting more advocates in customers, employees, and big economic secret that we already know:
emphasis on relevance), we can expect partners. 20th century institutions aren’t fit for 21st
progress in these areas: influence identi- century prosperity.”
fication (who in a network has influence Look out for new start-ups—think Facebook
and how potent it is); influence behavior for strangers with a lot in common—that As with anything else, we unlock value
measurement (what can be tracked as a will take networking to a global level. by exercising discretion in pursuit of the
ILLuSTRATION: MATT DORFMAN
direct link from the people who influenced Anne A. Balduzzi, founding partner, Accelerate greater good.
the behavior); and influence predictive Partners Bill Free, principal, William Free
modeling (using data to predict what is Communications
likely to influence the people you want The author responds: Sounds
to reach). Right now most tools simply like what the blogosphere used The bitter pessimist in me sees the old
show the size of someone’s social graph, to be—a global village. guard as overpaid managers incapable
22 Harvard Business Review March 2011