Coca-Cola had it figured out in 1991
The Coca-Cola Company had a branding disaster in the late 1980s with “New Coke.” Initially introduced in the marketplace in 1985 as a substitute for Coca-Cola, it was not gaining the traction the firm hoped for. It could be argued that it was a disastrous rollout followed by a significant rejection from the marketplace. So much so that, in short order, Coca-Cola brought back the old recipe, established a recovery campaign around the original or “classic” version, and in doing so birthed Coca-Cola Classic. During this recovery campaign in 1991, New Kids on the Block was on tour. While I did not follow the group and cannot list one of their songs, their catchy rendition of the brand recovery jingle kept popping into my head as I read The Atlantic articles. The specific phrase in the jingle goes, “… There is magic in the real thing. You can’t beat it. Can’t beat the real thing.” [1] Coca-Cola learned a lesson that has been repeated over and over throughout time: Imitations and substitutes are rarely if ever, a true substitute for the real thing.
Understandably, substitutes come with easier access and cheaper costs than the real thing. Live Music vs Recorded. The Grand Canyon in person vs a postcard. Handwritten letters vs e-mails. These substitutes attempt to capture the real thing, yet the experience is never the same. Social media is not immune to this reality. Social media (the substitute) cannot capture the positive benefits of spending meaningful face-to-face time with others (the real thing). Lacking the positive benefits is bad enough on its own, but the exaggeration of the negative aspects of human interaction moves social media into a toxic environment. As I read this week’s reading list, I was struck by three main thoughts.
Individuals want to be heard, valued and validated
The desire to be heard, valued, and validated is inherently universal. However, the level to which people experience it is not equal. Social media changed that by “giving voice to some people who had little previously…”[2] This voice, which is evaluated by algorithms, is valued by “Likes” and validated by “Shares” and “Forwards”. On the surface, it seems it could be equal to a real voice. Until that is, we evaluate the role that algorithms play. In evaluating that role, we must wrestle with the question, “Is this really a voice at all?” How can it be a real voice when the opportunity to be heard has been manipulated by algorithms? Social Media companies have become masters at convincing their users of the equality between a face-to-face conversation and an online post. In doing so, the user is misled into believing they are being heard, valued, and validated. When sometimes there is not even a person listening, valuing, or validating them—only a bot.[3] A bot that offers a cheap substitute that lacks the magic of the real thing.
Individuals want to belong
How can loneliness and friendlessness surge in a world of interconnectivity and unprecedented avenues for community?[4] It seems counterintuitive that this could be happening. However, this self-perpetuating phenomenon is created through a cycle of attention-seeking actions resulting in unfulfilling results. The online community cares for a moment and then is swept away in the tsunami of content. This cycle reminds me of the parable of the Prodigal Son found in Luke 15:11-32. The “friends” stay if something is in it for them. But there is no commitment, and because of that – there is no true community. Again, it is only a cheap substitute for the real thing.
PLAY
Social media is not enriching the lives of young people. One recent article asserts, “Nearly half of Gen Zers wish TikTok was never invented.” [5] While social media can’t take all the blame for the acceleration in adolescent depression, anxiety, and suicide, it can’t be ruled out as a contributing factor. [6] But what can be done for today’s youth to combat the negatives? Article after article pointed out one thing that is so simple that even toddlers can do it. PLAY. Preferably with someone, but go outside and play. Not the safe kind of supervised playing that helicopter parents prefer. The real type of playing. Exploring places that can potentially cause physical harm are the best! Places requiring stain remover for your clothes when finished and, when done correctly, could require bandages (and sometimes stitches) for your knees and elbows.
Ultimately, we must become unwilling to accept cheap substitutes for meaningful relationships, realizing there is no suitable substitute for the real thing.
[1] https://www.tiktok.com/@wedontwannagrowup/video/7245768640392383786
[2] Haidt, Jonathan. “Why the Past 10 Years of American Life Have Been Uniquely Stupid,” The Atlantic, April 11, 2022, https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2022/05/social-media-democracy-trust-babel/629369/.
[3] Haidt, Jonathan and Eric Schmidt. “AI Is About to Make Social Media (Much) More Toxic,” The Atlantic (blog), May 5, 2023, https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2023/05/generative-ai-social-media-integration-dangers-disinformation-addiction/673940/.
[4] “The Terrible Costs of a Phone-Based Childhood – The Atlantic,” accessed February 11, 2025, https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2024/03/teen-childhood-smartphone-use-mental-health-effects/677722/.
[5] Greenfield, Beth. “Nearly Half of Gen Zers Wish Social Media ‘was Never Invented,’ Survey Finds,” Fortune Well, accessed February 13, 2025, https://fortune.com/well/article/nearly-half-of-gen-zers-wish-social-media-never-invented/.
[6] “Alternative Hypotheses to the Adolescent Mental Illness Crisis: A Collaborative Review,” Google Docs, accessed February 12, 2025, https://docs.google.com/document/d/18oxWjShhuiZTteSag88QmAH42vzumOLqjszNckVMYUY/edit?usp=embed_facebook.
About the Author
Darren Banek
10 responses to “Coca-Cola had it figured out in 1991”
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Hey Darren,
I appreciated your positioning of alternative forms of communication as substitutes. It makes me think about economic models of products and services and their ability to substitute for one another. Rarely are there perfect substitutes, but we’re often willing to pay opportunity costs to gain the benefits of convenience.
The note on the parable of the prodigal son also highlighted that having people around in person can’t be the sole qualification for community if they’re ready to leave when life becomes less convenient.
Great writing, thank you!
I can’t help but go back to 2013 and relive the parenting decisions we made for our pre-teen daughters. I don’t fault myself as we were on the trailing end of when to give them phones (when they benefit me) or social media (when they turn 13, the prevailing policy at the time). It makes me sad that we didn’t know better.
Your voice-belong-play trifecta did remind me of a good decision we made. We signed up our middle school daughter for a Toastmasters group against her will. It was inconvenient for us. I say that because letting the screens babysit our children and influence our teens is really convenient for parents. The ‘real thing’ experience of that speaking club gave our daughter an opportunity to develop confidence in her ability to communicate (voice) within a community of her peers (belong) that also spent time together being silly middle schoolers (play).
It’s really difficult to play soccer by yourself while staring at your phone.
I’m with you.
Darren, I like your reference to the Coke campaign and am reminded of how disastrous it was. I am not a Coke consumer, but this failure was “viral” before “viral” was a commonly used term.
Individuals need to feel a sense of belonging and be valued to thrive and thrive well. Communities that were once recognizable as solid foundations for families are fragmented and dispersed. They have been introduced to non-physical relationships in different (and perhaps unhealthy) types of communities through social media. Toss into the mix the COVID-19 pandemic, and you have further separation from what we have experienced as a “true” sense of community. It’s new territory for us all.
I agree with your statement on the essentialness of PLAY in youth environments. What would you envision this look like in this new and ever-changing space, and where does this responsibility lie? I sense that we have to unwind our current activities and priorities and there is not a single or best answer.
Great question about where responsibility lies. I don’t think we can wait for legislation to take action, and educating parents one-by-one seems as thought it would take decades. Part of me wonders what it looks like for the church to provide a solution before the parents understand the need. Or if that would even be possible?
Darren, when I was an undergrad, the shopette on campus sold a carbonated soda canned coffee. In my mind, it’s Coke Coffee, but that didn’t come out until years later. Whatever it was, it was awful. At the end of the semester, they had a sale: buy 1, get 11 free! Apparently, nobody liked it. I had money on my account that would disappear, so I bought 4 cans of coffee soda and walked away with four cases.
Your thoughts about the need for real communication and community resonate with that story. It didn’t matter how much I had; it didn’t help. Having an excess of fake stuff wasn’t helpful. Anyway, I drank it over the summer and learned to tolerate it—I was a college kid and didn’t want to be wasteful. How much have we learned to tolerate Social Media?
Robert, that’s a great question about being able to tolerate it. Unfortunately, we may already be slaves to its mastery. The next question may be, how much are will willing to suffer before we rise up?
Hi Darren,
I so enjoyed the comparisons you made of the Imitations vs. Substitutes. So thoughtfully and well written. What peaked my interest was your writings about Humanity and its profound need to be heard, valued, and validated. I think technology is a cheap substitute for human interaction. Visiting someone and having dinner at their home, having a games night, having a potluck, making new friends that you never knew before at that friend’s home etc.
Postman in Technopoloy leans in and argues we could reclaim control over these machines. Do you have any suggestions of how we can reclaim the purity of humanity and its need for this human connection? I’d love to hear some ideas you might have.
Judith
Judith,
Two words keep coming to mind…Simply Complex. The solution is simple, spend more time with other people in relationship. The breakdown seems to come with “desire”. Do we REALLY want to do anything about it? As a society we have come to value individualism and comfort. In doing so, we have lost community and bonding, which is a byproduct of a common struggle. It hurts my heart to think, “What is bad enough to pierce the equilibrium of our situation?”
My apologies for not having an answer; I honestly don’t know what a society wide solution looks like.
Darren,
The way social media manipulates the need for validation is especially concerning. While it’s true that people have more platforms to voice their opinions than ever before, the algorithm-driven environment makes it difficult to separate genuine engagement from performative interactions. The idea that users are led to believe they are truly being heard when in fact, bots and algorithms control much of the narrative, is a powerful insight.
So much of a powerful insight that I had nothing to do with the insight written above regarding your post and if I had never confessed it, would you have known? Most likely you would have thought I was fully engaged in your post and perhaps would have felt heard and seen? For so many people that are seeking connection, social media is such a great way to accomplish that but now you have to worry about whether that connection is real or not. How do we find a life that’s balanced between PLAY and connecting in that way but still staying current with how society is progressing?
Linda,
Your first paragraph sounds way better than anything I wrote!
Your last sentence is incredibly interesting. Please allow me to be the devil’s advocate. Why do we have to be…” staying current with how society is progressing?” Practically, the only part of society that I can influence is immediately around me. Is our desire for global/humanities justice actually diluting our ability to influence what is closest to us? Is that the concept that the Founding Fathers were contemplating when banking on the delay of information to reduce tensions?