Ride-sharing app Uber appears to have come out on top in its protracted battle with the city of New York and its mayor, Bill de Blasio (for now, at least). The mayor, himself an avid Uber user, sought to limit the number of drivers on the streets of NYC, allegedly to de-clutter the roadways. However, with only about 26,000 Uber drivers in the city, many on social media perceived the move to be a classic case of favored industry protectionism.
However, celebrities and social media users by the millions rallied to the side of the most valuable venture-funded startup in history.
The hashtag #UberMovesNYC has been tweeted thousands of times in support of the company.
Uber augmented this grassroots uprising with a massive campaign of its own to inform its users and fans on exactly what the mayor was trying to do, even introducing a clever “De Blasio feature” which showed users what their wait time would be if there was a cap on the number of drivers allowed in the city.
Regardless of your political leanings or personal feelings, you cannot deny the effect that social media has had, not only in our personal lives, but in business and public policy as well.
Personally, as a student of economics and a professional social media consultant, this outcome is both expected and exciting. It shows that social media has the power to not only rally its users, but to educate people on the effects of government interference in the marketplace.
It will be interesting to see if their efforts are able to pave the way for their entrance into other cities, or if politicians will fight harder than ever against the winds of change. Either way, the winner will likely be the side who takes advantage of social media, the new megaphone for democracy.
I remember when the first buzz began about the realistic possibility that digital media would the music industry. No one believed it. Then there was the rise of digital books; but that would never really cut into the world of print publishing, would it?
I hadn’t until this considered how Uber, Lyft and others could actually erode the taxi and public transportation market.
You are absolutely right, Reade. The power of social media (and the digital spread of information in general) is staggering. Interesting to wonder “what’s next.”
It really is fascinating to ponder what it could change next.
If you ask me, not only do I think it will continue to affect public policy, but it may change the way governments themselves are run.
Great post, Reade. Uber doesn’t impact me much, but I know it’s a big deal in bigger cities like NYC. It’s amazing how much impact that social media is having on the world and I’m glad that it has a big enough voice to speak for what’s right.
Adam, I became a big fan of Uber when I was living in ATL. Its likely to make its way to suburbs in the next few years.
Thanks again for reading!
Reade,
You make a great point about how social media is educating us on the effects of government. We have instant access to news and most people are now getting news from social media. The move to increase video on social media is a large part of that movement. Do you have any ideas on how to filter the vast amounts of information coming out of news feeds.