Ellen Louw is an expert in Social Media Intelligence – a fascinating role that allows her to sift through our globally accessible, real-time information: what we post on social media; what we search for on Google; what we comment in forums; and what we publish as blogs.This unique skill has seen her smarts summoned by various companies, ranging from advertising to healthcare.
She’s driven to better understand people: Our behaviour, interests, opinions and ambitions. Her sense-making of our published content and search data from all over the world allows her to peer into, and learn from, many perspectives.
Our digital footprint displays a story about us all, as well as the stories we buy into.
Ellen is taking the TEDxYouth@CapeTown stage to help us see the big picture, and of course, how to be our own ‘investigative journalist’ using social media.
We asked Ellen a couple of questions to help you get to know her, before she takes the TEDxYouth@CapeTown stage.
What’s your favourite TED/TEDx talk?
“3 Ways to Spot a Bad Statistic” by Mona Chalabi
What do you hope to gain from this experience?
I have a growing concern that we’ll be buried under information and won’t be equipped to dig ourselves out. As more information becomes available on a daily basis, knowing how to navigate our way through it all becomes important.
To “Leap Ahead” we need to be equipped with simple tips to ensure we can see the big picture. I look forward to communicating my idea in a way that resonates with listeners, and be inspired by the people involved.
If you had a superpower what would it be?
I would love to be able to speak any language.
If you could time travel, where would you go?
I would go back in time, to the ‘70s!
When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A buffalo, doesn't make sense but I felt it deeply.
