Social Media - You're Doing It Wrong

With each new technological introduction, comes new ways for the public to find ways to make it more efficient. Sometimes, that's a good thing; other times, not so much.

Social media, which traces origins back to the late 1990s (see my previous blog post on this), was perceived by companies as an alternative to traditional marketing -- it was far less expensive; but required an investment of time that traditional advertising didn't demand. However, the impact had far more potential.

Enter Facebook - probably the most famous social media application today. There are, as many of you know, two different types of Facebook 'users' -- individuals (like you and me), and companies (which users like us can "like" and subscribe to their updates).

What I've noticed though, more recently, from both users and entities, is far less of the "social" aspect of social media. Way too many users will post something - maybe something funny - and then, never revisit the original post. This is removing the social from social media.

Why is this? Apart from the usual apathy (which always exists, of course), is the rise in "efficiencies." Accessing Facebook via a mobile device typically doesn't allow the user to view comments made to his/her status. Using applications like Tweetdeck or Hootsuite enable users to make one post from a remote application that posts to all social networks simultaneously. Even more insidious now - there are applications that allow a user to pick (or randomly have chosen) a semi-comical status update that isn't even the user's own words.

I'm not necessarily complaining about the steady stream of applications. Facebook, thankfully, allows you to hide those updates (so I don't need to read about the 55 friends that are using Farmville); but I'm grateful that I see them at least once, as it provides more insight to my friends' interests, and - occasionally - introduces me to something I like (see my recent love affair with Warstorm). I'm referring entirely to the conversations that *should* be prevalent on the site.

All of this threatens the foundation of social media. When you take the social out; when users sign on to be greeted by a steady stream of one-way communication directed *AT* them, and their attempts to engage in conversation are ignored ... well, we're almost right back where we started, aren't we?

It's imperative - as a user - that you not only participate in the conversation by posting new, interesting threads; but that you participate by engaging other users in their conversations, and that you respond to and engage those users who participate in your conversations.