It's easy to gush about how wonderful social media is. Heck, I do it all the time. Not many seem to be talking vocally about some of the problems with the state of social media today, so I felt a post was needed on the subject. This is a the first part in a two post series, in which I'll explain why I love and hate social media at the very same time.
Why I hate social media:
1. The Time Commitment
It takes a huge investment of time to do social media well. It's not unlike regular networking. You have relationships to grow, conversations to monitor and goals to accomplish. When you're spending your time on a primarily one to one marketing platform, you have to account for the sometimes inordinate amount of time it takes to be successful.
2. The Egos
People who use social media are becoming notorious for their egos. Now, I think it's healthy to have some form of an ego, as it is important to be good at self promotion and personal branding if you are in the social media sphere. That said, sometimes it's just too much. Social media is not a popularity contest, but the metrics that most people are working with makes it seem that way. How many followers do you have. How many friends do you have. Social media is more than a number - and those of us who are in the industry talk about the conversation till we're blue in the face, but I still think many lose sight of this (myself included).
3. Too Many Tools & Networks
How many of you use the following services on a regular basis:
I could go on. If you actually use any of those networks on a regular basis, I applaud you, for you have far more time to devote to social media than I do. The current state of social media is much like the early dot com days. Too many players in a market that's only so big. It's going to collapse, maybe not on a scale as grand as the late 1990s, but you will see major consolidation.
4. Lack of Measurements
Because the industry is still so new, there really aren't any good, standard metrics for measuring success or business impact. There's a lot of theory, but not much that's statistically significant. These measurements exist for every other established marketing channel, and until they're established for social media, there will continue to be a lot of skeptics.
5. It's the Wild West
I get it. You're on Twitter, and you're on Facebook - so you must be a social media expert, right? I mean - think about that for a second. Saying that I'm a social media expert because I have a Twitter account is like saying I'm a NFL Quarterback because I own a football and I know how to throw it. It's ridiculous. Social media in it's current form is too new for there to be so many self-proclaimed experts.
In my mind, there are really only a couple dozen true social media experts in the country, and they consist mostly of smart early adopters and industry veterans. 95% of those on social networks do not fall into this category - yet.
What problems do you think the social media community must overcome in its forward march to legitimacy?
Next post: 5 Reasons Why I Love Social Media.
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Thats why they hire people to do it all day long.
Thats why they hire people to do it all day long.