Actualizing the Potential of Social Websites
According to Aristotle
For Aristotle, everything in life can be understood as in a dynamic
transition progressing or regressing towards or away from its potential. Inside
an acorn is the potentiality of an oak, but it only reaches or actualizes its
potential if the conditions are right and nothing impedes it. What then are the
conditions for a good social website and what could potentially impede their
potential?
Aristotle followed after Plato and sought to provide a
systematic approach to many of his ideas. Aristotle believed that these idea
could form general principles, but that one must also be aware of the
potentialities of the moment in order to know how to act. Aristotle was all
about action, phronesis, or practical wisdom. A good social website would
invite and attract people who wanted to act and would show them and give them
potential ways to act.
Action is necessary to actualize potential. A good
social website would actualize its
potential by helping users to actualize their
potential. It would seek to understand its potential market by understanding
its market’s potential, who or what they are seeking to become. If it can be
successful in helping them to become what they want to be or what they are
meant to be, they will come to it and stay with it. Just like how roots of an
oak grow toward the source of water and branches and leaves towards the sun, a
good social website would provide these similar life giving conditions.
It would allow users to contribute to the potentialities of the website
as well. This is what makes it a good social
website and not just a good website in general. The users, by their
participating in the social aspects of the site, are the dynamic that makes the
site able to actualize its potential. Thus, there is an interdependence between the
website itself and the users, in that the users help to make it (the website) what
it is and it (the website) helps to make them (the users) what they are. This is the most important condition if it is to be truly social at all.
In summary, a good social website would:
In summary, a good social website would:
- Reach it's full potential as it helped it's users to reach their full potential.
- Concomitantly be developed by users and develop users.
- Invite people to act
- The only way to change your character(be virtuous) and see new potentialities.
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