Corporate Culture Has Been Radically Transformed In The Internet Age

Forward thinking entrepreneurs, such as Charles Phillips, among a whole host of others, have always prided themselves on their ability to forecast the coming prevalence of new trends. But, with the exception of a very few bright minds, there is hardly a CEO or corporation owner alive who could have foreseen the absolute dominance of the Internet. The invention of the world wide web was so shocking a phenomenon that it has come to define an entire new age of human progress.

The Industrial Age Has Given Way To The New Information Age

What was once a culture still deep in the throes of the Industrial Age is now a world in the midst of the Information Age. The transition from the mechanical “analog” age to the software driven “digital” age has occurred with extreme rapidity in the course of less than two full decades at the time of writing, yet its impact has been revolutionary. As a result, the entire tone of corporate culture has also had to undergo a major readjustment in the light of a new found accountability to the public that it did not have to reckon with in previous years.

The Age Of The Internet Has Sharply Influenced Modern Corporate Culture

As is only to be expected, the age of the Internet has also sharply influenced the form and style of modern corporate culture. Indeed, many a business model has been discarded, and a new, more sharply focused and consumer oriented method has been substituted in its place. This holds true for all manner of corporations, from the eldest of the world wide institutions to the most recent online based start up. All have felt the impact of pervasive change.

Can Corporate Culture Survive In The Age Of The Internet?

Some pundits have predicted that corporate culture will have to undergo even more radical transformations if it is to survive in the age of the Internet. For example, CEO’s may have to become even more accountable to the public on a daily basis for all of the possible misdeeds committed by the companies they represent. While such accountability is a double edged sword in many cases, it is also clear that higher visibility through social media will also give them a celebrity status that may well protect them against the worst effects of any personal wrongdoing.

The Impact Of Social Media Has Forced Corporate Culture To Get Trendy

The impact of social media has forced corporate culture to “hip itself up” and get trendy. For example, the explosion of Twitter has enabled companies to communicate to hundreds of millions of potential customers via the use of trendy hashtags. Popular expressions that have originated in the youthful “underground” have likewise proved rich fodder for corporate appropriation and exploitation. By paying attention to the look and lingo adopted by the bulk of their most desirable demographic, many corporations are reaping the fruits of a whole new era of credibility and resulting profitability.