The Digital Kula Ring
Creating and exchanging relationships in the digital age
Personal connections create change. Social connections share the changes already made.
In the early 20th century social scientists Bronislaw Malinowski and Marcel Mauss debated the concept of the gift exchange. Malinowski researched the gifting of bracelets, necklaces and other trinkets in the “Kula ring,” a series of 18 small island communities on the Massim Archipeligo in Papua New Guinea. Malinowski noticed that men would risk their lives crossing the sea to deliver small gifts to far-flung communities, and he wanted to know why. His answer was the gift exchange, or Kula ring. One gives a gift expecting to receive a gift back of the same or greater value. If one gives a gift to the next island, eventually their gift will actually make it all the way around the ring and back to the initial giver.
Looking at Malinowski’s work, Marcel Mauss wrote The Gift and argued that gifts were not merely objects given with the goal of receiving something better in return, but actually a part of the giver. The gifts strattled the line between the material and spiritual to a point of being almost magical: “the objects are never completely separated from the men who exchange them”. Given this bond between gift and giver, the act of giving creates a social bond with the recipient with an obligation on the part of the recipient to reciprocate to keep the relationship alive.
An Online Malinowskian or Maussian World?
In the online world of guest posts, retweets and interviews, the gift exchange is in clear display. Is it a Malinowskian world where these gifts are given with the expectation of receiving something valuable in return? Or, is it a Maussian world where we are creating a social bond and actually giving a part of ourselves?
Social connections that make up the majority of our online relationships skew towards the Malinowskian world where retweets and guest posts are given with the expectation that the same will be received when the time comes. While this creates tremendous noise and visibility for the giver and recipient, the act of helping to create change is often lost.
Social connections are happy to exchange trinkets of retweets and shares but not meaningful action to make the world a better place. The gifting of these trinkets occurs from a self-serving starting point with the goal of appearing smart/funny/connected.
Personal connections however are Maussian in nature. Gifts and help are given to keep the relationship going, to help one another out. Social bonds are created and the giver is not looking for something better in return, but rather looks to support the recipient and help the recipient realize his or her vision.
Personal Versus Social Connections in Fargo
One month ago I was at the epicenter of a Maussian gift exchange at the Misfits Conf in Fargo, North Dakota.
It was my first conference experience where no one used laptops, no one used their cell phones and speakers were not encouraging the audience to tweet and share what they were saying. Instead, over the course of two days, I spoke with and connected with all 60 or so attendees. These conversations created a social bond among attendees.We started to help one another out and immediately created change.
Misfit Social Bond in Action
Greg Tehven worked with me to teach rural entrepreneurs how to improve their communities. Shortly after the conference, we planned, recorded and launched the first episode of the Digital Homesteading podcast with the aim to grow rural business and communities.
Following the podcast discussion, I was able to book Greg as an emcee at an upcoming technology conference in the area. He then returned the favor and introduced me to a local entrepreneur in his community who is visiting me in a couple weeks and invited me to guest post on their Midwest entrepreneurship blog. All of this from one day spent together in Fargo.
The same happened with Pamela Slim, well-known author of Escape from Cubicle Nation. She spoke and partook in the Misfits Conf., actually connecting with attendees. Thanks to this social bond, she is now returning to the Midwest to speak at our conference and inspire new Midwestern entrepreneurs and business people. I am not inviting her because I hope to receive some greater gift down the road, but rather because we have a connection in which I support her vision for world-change.
Marcella Chamorro was yet another social bond created in Fargo. After meeting in Fargo, I download her book, interviewed her for the podcast and already made plans to see each other again at next year’s conference.
The Value of Personal Connections
All of these stories point to one undeniable fact:
there is immeasurable value in personal connections.
As a rural entrepreneur I want to believe that distance doesn’t matter and that you can do anything from anywhere. However, just as a farmer needs to take his corn to market, so too does a rural entrepreneur need to find places to meet and connect with fellow world changers. When met in person these connections are not just willing to share what you have done, but are willing to help you get it done.
Today’s Kula Ring
We may not need to risk life and limb to deliver trinkets to a new connection. We do however sacrifice time, personal capital and energy (our Maussian gifts) to help personal connections. Rarely do we take this step to actively participate in building a social bond. However:
when we move beyond the Malinowskian shares and likes for personal gain, we find that true relationships and change are created.
