What If Luther Had X?
That’s Martin Luther, BTW, the seminal figure of the Protestant Reformation…not Lex of Superman fame or the Idris Elba character of the same name…
The question is real. (Stay with me…)
There was a time when the word “viral” meant the plot of a new novel by Michael Crichton revolving around some weird, rapidly spreading disease that threatens the very existence of our world.
Then the Internet arrived and "viral" took on a new connotation. It became (and still is) a Holy Grail of sorts…often a culture-defining moment…or a super cred of someone's worth and importance. Despite its usually fleeting nature…at that moment, it seems all-encompassing and important, and as quickly forgotten.?
Some of my loyal readers (and new) might be too young to remember the early viral sensations that, back in ancient digital history, were supposed to have started trends of UGC, music, or whatever that would forever kill TV, destroy bands and concerts, bury advertising, and more…check these out…
And a myriad of other one-night wonders that punched way above their true cultural weight as "traditional" media reverse-megaphoned and inflated their importance.
I won't bother commenting here on companies that still demand the creation of "virals" or on people who actually still use the term as a measure of success.?
Nor will I comment on the strange dichotomy of our ever-growing ability to actually micro-target and personalize for effective marketing while we also worship the free-ranging spread of so-called "viral" that has little or nothing to do with the most rudimental audience alignment.?
No, my interest is understanding the dynamics of sharing, human interaction, media amplification, and the difference between ephemeral promotion and lasting cultural change.?
To that end, I return to Luther and an apocryphal moment on October 31, 1517, when Luther possibly nailed his manifesto, The Ninety-five Theses, to the door of All Saints Church in Wittenberg, Germany. Consider it a first post on X.?
?I hope you are intrigued enough to follow on…
“…. After decades of simmering discontent a new form of media gives opponents of an authoritarian regime a way to express their views, register their solidarity and co-ordinate their actions. The protesters’ message spreads virally through social networks, making it impossible to suppress and highlighting the extent of public support for revolution. The combination of improved publishing technology and social networks is a catalyst for social change where previous efforts had failed.”
Many may think I am describing any of the popular social activist movements of today…and I could be—but I'm not.?
No…I am referring to Martin Luther and the beginning of the Reformation and the following article in The Economist (from several years ago) is nourishing food for hard thought:
“The start of the Reformation is usually dated to Luther’s nailing of his “95 Theses on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences” to the church door in Wittenberg on October 31st 1517. The “95 Theses” were propositions written in Latin that he wished to discuss, in the academic custom of the day, in an open debate at the university.…Although they were written in Latin, the “95 Theses” caused an immediate stir, first within academic circles in Wittenberg and then farther afield. In December 1517 printed editions of the theses, in the form of pamphlets and broadsheets, appeared simultaneously in Leipzig, Nuremberg and Basel, paid for by Luther’s friends to whom he had sent copies. German translations, which could be read by a wider public than Latin-speaking academics and clergy, soon followed and quickly spread throughout the German-speaking lands. Luther’s friend Friedrich Myconius later wrote that “hardly 14 days had passed when these propositions were known throughout Germany and within four weeks almost all of Christendom was familiar with them.”
Think about that...14 days…in 1517…and multiple languages. While I have no way of actually comparing and quantifying, I would stake a bet on it being, at least, the equivalent of any digital "viral" today.?
“The unintentional but rapid spread of the “95 Theses” alerted Luther to the way in which media passed from one person to another could quickly reach a wide audience. ‘They are printed and circulated far beyond my expectation,’ he wrote in March 1518.”
Millions of Luther's pamphlets were printed and shared (enough to cause a stir today) and recreated in ballads and woodcuts….. "music and images" in our parlance and discussed in taverns and other public places of gathering.??
Luther went from unknown theologian to heretic to founder of a new and powerful denomination. Sadly, unlike the ephemeral virals of our time, his sticking power influenced Nazi Anti-Semitic behavior and policy centuries later.
In a move that could be taken out of the headlines today:?
“The papal bull threatening Luther with excommunication in 1520 said its aim was “to cut off the advance of this plague and cancerous disease so it will not spread any further.” The Edict of Worms in 1521 warned that the spread of Luther’s message had to be prevented, otherwise “the whole German nation, and later all other nations, will be infected by this same disorder.”
Wild!
As my readers know, I am obsessed with understanding the origins and dynamics of behavior to understand how to make the most of our amazing and powerful digital world.?
The article from The Economist concludes:
“Modern society tends to regard itself as somehow better than previous ones, and technological advance reinforces that sense of superiority. But history teaches us that there is nothing new under the sun. Robert Darnton, an historian at Harvard University, who has studied information-sharing networks in pre-revolutionary France, argues that “the marvels of communication technology in the present have produced a false consciousness about the past — even a sense that communication has no history, or had nothing of importance to consider before the days of television and the internet.” Social media are not unprecedented: rather, they are the continuation of a long tradition. Modern digital networks may be able to do it more quickly, but even 500 years ago the sharing of media could play a supporting role in precipitating a revolution. Today’s social-media systems do not just connect us to each other: they also link us to the past.”
The past connects us to a better future.?
What could any of us learn from Luther? Again, from The Economist:
“Many pamphlets called upon the reader to discuss their contents with others and read them aloud to the illiterate. People read and discussed pamphlets at home with their families, in groups with their friends, and in inns and taverns. Luther’s pamphlets were read out at spinning bees in Saxony and in bakeries in Tyrol. In some cases entire guilds of weavers or leather-workers in particular towns declared themselves supporters of the Reformation, indicating that Luther’s ideas were being propagated in the workplace. One observer remarked in 1523 that better sermons could be heard in the inns of Ulm than in its churches, and in Basel in 1524 there were complaints about people preaching from books and pamphlets in the town’s taverns. Contributors to the debate ranged from the English king Henry VIII, whose treatise attacking Luther (co-written with Thomas More) earned him the title “Defender of the Faith” from the pope, to Hans Sachs, a shoemaker from Nuremberg who wrote a series of hugely popular songs in support of Luther.”
By contrast, so much of our all-consuming (in the moment) social posts pass us by like a hot desert wind, partly because the media amplification wasn't about the content but rather the self-congratulatory story of digital social media. In other words…it's the story of the story as opposed to the issue. If Luther's story had been nailing the theses to the church door (as it might have been if he was alive now), the world would be very different today.??
And just to keep us all a bit humble as we contemplate social media in the age of Luther compared to our own……..listen:
“Digital data are more fragile than printed material.” –Robert Darnton
Think about that…We still study and share texts written thousands of years ago, but after the initial rush, do we even remember what we shared this morning that we thought was so all-encompassing…life-changing important??
And, I add, future proofing digital content of today has become an important undertaking as tech changes and what was often gets left behind. Crazy that old tech books and such seem to defy the need??
So what can we learn?
Now, that is worthy of a viral moment of thought.?
What do you think??
Board of Directors - Financial Expert - EY Partner (Retired) and former Investigations & Compliance Leader - Forensic Accountant - Insurance Claims - Governance - Speaker & Coach - NACD.DC
3 周While an interesting thought experiment it’s a challenge to apply things of today’s world to those of the past for a multitude of reasons. Regarding Luther - the 95 thesis was never nailed to the doors, that did not happen. Also the Pope responded to Luther’s request which actually included other letters and correspondence and not just the 95 items. Some of the items were agreed to, changes and addressed. Of the 95 items some were in pure error or redundant and were not inclusive of the other items in Luthers letters so the papal bull summarized and combined the key items / complaints to 45 or 47 points. That said if it were today it would mostly likely be a twitter debate (well an X debate) where some people who did not hear the Popes response may have agreed with the Pope and others who may not have heard Luther’s original points but now they hear of it because of twitter may take Luther’s side which would leave us as Abbott and Costello would say “third base”.
Home of the Unfair Advantage. Working with companies, brands, and brand leaders - world leaders, as well - to construct narratives that harmonize with this moment and anticipate the next.
3 周What’s missing from the Lutherian calculus is the exponential vitality of social media - with likes and shares - to instantly convince, persuade, and mislead, to aj asymptotic conclusion that belies historiostical linearity.
Founder @ Grey Space Matters | Speaker | Board Member | Advisor | Connector
3 周Indeed a thought provoking post David, thank you. So many elements of this that are worth considering today, far beyond "virality". Open debate (including in a forum centered in education), purity of message, worthy consideration (i.e., actually reading) of a new perspective, including from those in disagreement. It's also significant that these theses were positioned as propositions rather than declarations reflects an intent based on the true merits of the ideas and learning (or reformation) for the collective good rather than the uninformed, larcenous narcissism that we see from some people today.
Group Account Director at DMW Worldwide LLC
3 周What a wonderful post! Eye-opening and thought-provoking. The lesson about the enduring aspect of the written word, as opposed to bits and bytes, is powerful. The metrics on the spread of Luther's 95 Theses reinforce this.