
It’s easy to become entrapped in the whirlwind that is social media. Sometimes I feel like I’m in high school all over again—things are going on all around you, everyone is “doing it,” so you should be too, right? “Not on Twitter yet? What a lame-o.” “She’s not on Facebook—so she must not be cool.” People might say they’re not involved in social media because everyone else is…but they’d be lying.
My first social media experience went like this: my buddy Johnny K. and I used AIM back in the day to communicate before we’d play Quake (a shoot em' up computer game similar to Halo...man I loved that game). Anyway, we primarily used it AIM as a method of communication—then, later and for the life of me I cannot recall what it was—some chat room where we basically would work together to create a ridiculously hilarious debates and arguments with random people just to see their reactions.
When college rolled around I stuck with AIM (basically to figure out where the parties were at on the weekend) but lessened by propensity for chat room mischief. Then MySpace came onto the scene—and I joined it because I wanted to see what all the fuss was about—and it was great because I could share photos, write in my blog, and catch up with long lost friends. It was USEFUL.
It’s funny now talking about the “good ol’ days” like it was ages ago…when it was basically a few years back. But that’s the world we live in. Instant everything.
The evolution of social media has shifted from a functional communication tool to a shameless self-promotional tool—and it makes total sense. As a generation in this society, we (Gen Yers) thrive off of attention, fame, etc. We define success with stardom and with being known. We idolize people like Paris Hilton and find solace in episodes of the Real World (which is an oxymoronic title in itself). And in social media it’s really no different.
I guess it’s inevitable with how we as a generation have been raised--to expect everything on a silver platter. It was going this way all along—and a few nerdy computer coders from California took advantage of us as a generation to drive that nail in further. For them, it’s all about how many people are doing it (more money). For us, it’s all about how many friends or followers we have (more fame and therefore, more success). They're the highschool drug dealers...and we feast upon it. (it would be worthy to note I laughed out loud at the idea of a computer nerd being a drug pusher).
But peel back the layers of this social media frenzy and what do you find? You find something like Twitter—where millions of people have accounts…but few people use it regularly. What percentage of your Facebook friends regularly use it (outside of checking it or uploading a couple new pics)? How many blogs are out there rolling like a tumbleweed in the wind? What Ning networks exist and are not used (
I have one you can check out :) )
It’s essentially a Ponzi Scheme—they sell you with the idea that everyone is doing it…when in reality no one does…but the fact that you signed up allows them to say they have more users, so more people sign up…and the cycle continues. Most if not all social media platforms operate in this manner. They're a strange and terrible drug. And people can't seem to get enough. It's just a wonder to when they'll collapse.
So, is there any value in social media? Yes. Will people become "burned out?" Yes, that's already happening. As a generation that "tries everything once" I see people slowly weeding only the useful social media out of their lives. Sort of like hippies from the 60's, we'll stop using things eventually as other things become important to us. But one important note to make is that communication is being shaped by this media now and for the future--and that is an relevant implication to be considered in long-term planning.
In the end, people must simply understand first what that media is (merely a tool to achieve something better) and then decide whether it’s for them, for their company or for their industry. Just don't go out and start using a social media platform unless you at least know a little bit about it. All it does is fuels the fire for the news and others to report "Blahblahblah has over 20 million users! You CANNOT miss out!" cause I guarantee other dumb people will heedlessly jump on that ship.
Look at what your stakeholders, your followers, and your constituents want and give them something that makes their lives easier, not more time-consuming and difficult.
That, in it’s purest form, is a valuable and enriching High School experience.