Thomas Edison is the inventor that is probably most famous for invention the light bulb, or at least he gets credit for it in most history books. Nikola Tesla actually worked with Edison for a time in his early years, and improved upon Edison's D/C electricity concept. Tesla also went on to invent many of the technologies that we use today, A/C electricity, radio waves, x-ray, fluorescent light bulbs, the list goes on and on. Some of these technologies he doesn't officially get credit for, for one reason or another.
All the statements that I have read list Edison as an extreme extrovert and Tesla as an extreme introvert. Edison gets the credit, riches and glory and Tesla gets labeled a lunatic. It's been shown that a number of Edison's inventions were stolen ideas or patents that were bought from someone else (including the light bulb). So was it simply his extroverted nature that allowed him to sell himself and his products to the public? Was Tesla not given credit for his brilliance because we wasn't a successful salesman?
I have to admit that I felt increasingly disturbed the more that I researched Thomas Edison's behavior. I couldn't help but to start thinking, did the extrovert dedicate much of his life trying to discredit the introvert? Edison made several attempts to prove that the A/C voltage concepts of Nikola Tesla and George Westinghouse were dangerous. He held public electrocutions of dogs, cats, horses and, most notably, an elephant. (There is video of this event on youtube filmed by Edison himself. I chose not to post the link because I found it rather enraging to watch.) The following photo is from an article that I found on the Wired Science website.
Image: wired.com/Edison Elephant Electrocution
Topsy the elephant was electrocuted at Luna Park Zoo on Coney Island in 1903. Captured on film by Thomas Edison, the event was one of a string of animal electrocutions Edison staged to discredit a new form of electricity: alternating current.Even though Edison admitted later in life that he had thought A/C electricity was better than his D/C electricity all along, he still performed these electrocutions solely to prove a point and to discredit someone else. Did he do this out of spite, jealously, self preservation or because he felt threatened? Or all of the above? As a side note, these insane public spectacles eventually lead to the invention of the electric chair, for those of you who were wondering. Obviously this personality clash seems pretty extreme and certainly times were different in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Public electrocutions of animals would certainly be unacceptable today, but the intent behind the behavior doesn't seem that far from the tongue lashings in the political world of today. People spending all their energy trying to publicly destroy the credibility of someone else. Unfortunately, in most cases, the more outspoken and dominant person wins, regardless of what is morally or ethically right or wrong.
This brings me to my next question. Is internet communication leveling the playing field by allowing introverts and extroverts the same chance at communicating to the public? According to a study done by The Elon Journal of Undergraduate Research in Communications, it is leveling the field. Introverts are now able to communicate with their world while being by themselves at the same time. They are able to control the amount of social interaction that they are subjected too and they have an easier time expressing themselves.
This research states that the two different personality types may use the internet for different reasons. Extroverts may view the internet as an extension of their social interaction and introverts may see it as a substitute or alternative to face-to-face interaction. Regardless of their motives for using internet communication, the research shows that both introverts and extroverts will sometimes reinvent their identities online.
When explaining the use of Social Networking Sites by both personality types, the article gives this explanation: "Social Networking Sites are seen as the middle ground between introverted and extroverted activities, because it provides introverts an opportunity to network with others, on a business or personal level, while remaining in their own comfortable world, while, simultaneously allowing extroverts the ability to stay connected with the outside world at times when they would other wise be alone"
It is starting to appear that non face-to-face communication could possibly be smoothing out the competitive advantage that extroverts once held in public communication, but how does this help with offline, real world situations and the workplace?
Works Cited:
Harbaugh, Erin. The Effect of Personality Styles (Level of Introversion - Extroversion) on Social Media. The Elon Journal of Undergraduate Research in Commuications. Vol. 1, No. 2. Fall 2010
Video Cited:
Before reading your blog I never gave it much thought as to if I was an introvert or an extrovert. After listening to an interview with Susan Cain, I can conclude that I am definitely an introvert. I guess that my confusion comes from the fact that I do not have a problem talking to people one on one or public speaking. I realized I was an introvert when Cain pointed out that an introvert does not enjoy the social interaction. The key difference is that being an introvert does not keep someone from interacting socially, it is that they do not gain enjoyment from it the way an extrovert does. I am curious how many others do not know if they are an introvert or extrovert. Perhaps being an introvert has contributed to me not knowing that I am one up until now.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYn6NeWemVw
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jennagoudreau/2012/01/26/the-secret-power-of-introverts/