Social media fooled me into thinking it was much more important than it actually is. I am as guilty as anyone, which is why I have made this admission an entry point into this article. In my own little circle of the world, I am THAT GUY. The guy who went full force into social media, who went “all in,” embracing social media just to have something to do. Just to have courage about something.
Oh and my how has it paid off. I am, irrespective of my new found critical posture, much better off having plunged headfirst into the social media swimming pool. I have multiple platforms for expressing myself, hundreds of new friends and acquaintances, access to things I always wanted access to, and the informational tool kit that allows me to live the kind of life I want. That being said, this is all being tempered my the aforementioned critical posture. In order for social media to continue its vast and trans-formative vacuuming, we’ve got to occasional take a moment to catch our breath, and make sure the coast is clear.
Getting Snookered By Social Media
So how did this happen? How did we all get sucked into this enormous time suck? How is it that I have said over and over again that social media represents a revolution in the way our society communicates? Does it? Does it matter?
Let me first say that although I have lately taken a more critical and balanced approach to my thinking about social media, that I still do and forever will believe in the power of social. I think that the tools that enable every citizen to have a voice, to get their message out (no matter how brilliant, crass or impolitic that opinion might be) is without a doubt a societal bonus. I am currently reading a wonderful book called The Radicalism of the American Revolution by the historian Gordon Wood. Expect a review later in the week.
The thesis of the book is that the truly radical consequence of the American revolution was not in fact the transference from a monarchical form of government to a republican one. The truly radical transformation was in the how people related to one another in this new society. I think I’ll have plenty to say about this with regards to social media.
Social media gave people their voice. The tools and philosophies of social media have always been with us. But this time, they were put into a context: free, open source, connected to the web, and at a time, when they were most needed. It has long been my contention that the citizenry of this country are sick and tired of our constant bombardment by legal-department approved corporate speak. The pervasiveness of branding invades every aspect of our lives and what we most crave is the exact opposite, namely authenticity. Something that gets thrown around a lot but is rarely ever achieved. It is one of those intangibles. We know it when we see or read or hear it or touch or taste it. We know it when we feel it.
The Process of Social Media Defensiveness
So social media gave us that voice that for too long had been silenced. Once we had the voice, the platform, and a readership, we turned the volume up. We then felt indebted to it. It gave us something. Therefore we owe it. What do we owe it? Undivided loyalty and attention most likely.
Once you are indebted to something, that ownership, of you by it, manifests by disallowing you to see it without bias. One cannot think critically, at least not immediately and without some distance, to that which we are indebted to. It is only human nature.
There are other factors at work too. The more time we spend around social media, using its tools, celebrating its power, we slowly lose touch with other tools. The more time we spend with social media, the less time we spend, and the less importance we allow, other tools. This only furthers the addiction, as it were.
So we end up in a feedback loop where we spend more time social media-ing, producing stories about social media, and spreading those stories through social media channels. It all becomes conflated. How much time has been spent trying to prove things with social media that simply aren’t provable.
As I said when began this post, I am guilty of this as much as anyone; so call this post just another in what is sure to be a long line of cries of apology. In my own life, I have spent so much time hypothesizing and theorizing about the new tools so that I could be seen as potentially adding value to future clients. But no matter how hard I tried, the ROI for my clients doesn’t come from purely social marketing. It only works when it is another tool in an increasingly sophisticated tool chest.
Image Source: kevindooley on Flickr
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Great post Zach. It’s very easy to get blinded by the ease of utilizing social media and making it a focal point. This post is the proverbial kick in the ass saying this is not the only way.
.-= Jeff Esposito´s last blog ..Picking a new social media monitoring service =-.
That’s fine, socail networking is going down! lol
Interesting post, Zach… Although I argue that being raised in NYC and hailing from ‘Academy X’ has somewhat ingrained, if you will, the innate ability to be a social monger. I do agree that the multiple outlets of expression are great, but you are what you are… Keep up the good work!! All best.
True that thanks buddy!
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