It's all social media

Our growing collective penchant to document our lives and share them online, (witness this post) combined with the instant gratification we get from seeing something we've done or experienced receive near-immediate approval from our online peers, is an interesting modern-day phenomenon.

The feedback loop of positive reinforcement is an amazingly addictive and intoxicating element of social media. And to a degree, the sense of anonymity experienced while mingling in a large crowd, is similar to what's experienced while we're on the Web, enabling us to share and interact more impulsively than we might in person. I think it is this feeling of anonymity wrapped in a desire for collective sharing that enables many graffiti artists to do what they do.

Being back in New York brought me face to face with the city's abundance of graffiti, one of our early forms of social sharing! Though there's certainly a distinction between street art, and plain old vandalism, I think they are both forms of social media.

Today, I was able to leave my "mark" on a piano in Lincoln Center's plaza where a local arts and crafts event was taking place. Featured at the event were all 88 of the beautifully decorated Sing for Hope Pianos that have adorned city streets for the past several weeks. The public was invited to sit down and play on any of the pianos, and play they did, today! I joined in by adding my autograph to one of the pianos which, after today, will be donated to under-served schools, community organizations, and healthcare facilities.