How to integrate social networks into your business strategy?

Summary Over the past thirty years, the concept of the network and its use in the strategy of organizations has changed considerably. The notion of the network initially used the network as a massive source of demand. Thus, Amazon or Google exploited the network of individuals as a means to develop their capacity over a mass of individuals. In a second phase, the network has been used as a vector of massive and aggregated information. In the case of Tripadvisor, for example, the added value comes from users' reviews of places (restaurants, hotels, etc.). At that time, individuals started to have influence by having the possibility to create negative or positive buzz. In these two frameworks, the value added in the network is based on the individual (his request, his contribution). In a second stage, the value is no longer derived from the aggregated mass but from the capacity of individuals to interact in a network. Thus, in the Facebook model, it is the possibilities of interaction within a private network that are valued. In the Uber or Airbnb model, it is the physical interactions generated by an initial networking of the crowd of suppliers and applicants (to which is added the massive and aggregated information systems such as at Tripadvisor) that generates a meeting between massive supply and demand. Information sharing and networking are facilitated by the evolution of technology which, in 30 years, has simplified the use of networks.