Read on Twitter
I want to dispel a myth that comes up so often when we talk about social media.
It's our preciousness around the "social" and the reality check we need around the "media". Short thread incoming.
It's our preciousness around the "social" and the reality check we need around the "media". Short thread incoming.
When this all started to emerge in the early 2000s, we so loved our little soundbites.
"It's about engagement" or "It's called SOCIAL media, so be social!"
Dear reader, those are lovely thoughts, but they're terribly naive.
"It's about engagement" or "It's called SOCIAL media, so be social!"
Dear reader, those are lovely thoughts, but they're terribly naive.
These platforms are media first.
They're broad mechanisms, build to reach large audiences by design (that's how advertisers find value in spending money there, which is how the platforms themselves make money).
To ignore that is to totally misunderstand how they work.
They're broad mechanisms, build to reach large audiences by design (that's how advertisers find value in spending money there, which is how the platforms themselves make money).
To ignore that is to totally misunderstand how they work.
I know, I know. We all want to love the interaction, the community, and the conversation.
And at a personal level, that IS what we find value in, and the thing we keep coming back for.
But at scale, the collection of those communities is what makes the platforms work.
And at a personal level, that IS what we find value in, and the thing we keep coming back for.
But at scale, the collection of those communities is what makes the platforms work.
So yes ok, YOU prefer to have conversation and connection and to really emphasize the "social" part. Cool! Do that. That's how I do it. It works for me that way.
But don't get it wrong. There's more than one valid way to use these platforms, even if you don't prefer them.
But don't get it wrong. There's more than one valid way to use these platforms, even if you don't prefer them.
For example, remember how we have always vilified the idea of "broadcasting" on social?
I got news for you, folks. That is an equally valid - and I'd argue an important - way for these platforms to work.
Just look at how social media has changed the news cycle.
I got news for you, folks. That is an equally valid - and I'd argue an important - way for these platforms to work.
Just look at how social media has changed the news cycle.
You personally may really value the interpersonal interactions, but that doesn't invalidate mainstream media using social as an extension, or brands using it to promote their products and services, or individual content creators to distribute their work.
The trick the attention.
The trick the attention.
*Is the attention. Anyway.
Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn...they're all opt-in. Meaning by being here, you can give or remove your attention from the people, the brands, the media channels.
You can block. Unfollow. Filter. Make lists. Shape your experience.
Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn...they're all opt-in. Meaning by being here, you can give or remove your attention from the people, the brands, the media channels.
You can block. Unfollow. Filter. Make lists. Shape your experience.
And while the platforms will always try to make a buck by getting ads in there somehow - again, a perfectly legitimate way to do things even if it offends your sensibilities - largely WE control our experiences by who we choose to follow and what content we engage with.
That means if the "broadcast" stuff doesn't work, people will go away, the audience will disappear, and those sources will stop trying to leverage these platforms.
Except that it DOES work. Spectacularly well.
Except that it DOES work. Spectacularly well.
You may prefer your social media heavy on the social. That doesn't mean someone else is "doing it wrong" if they choose to lean into the media part.
The platforms themselves are inert. They're just code and some mechanics. How we use them shapes how they evolve and work.
The platforms themselves are inert. They're just code and some mechanics. How we use them shapes how they evolve and work.
In fact, as a longtime marketer, I can tell you that the REASON these platforms continue to thrive is that they have all of the above:
The ability to connect 1:1, 1: few, AND 1:many. THAT is what makes them totally unique to mainstream media.
The ability to connect 1:1, 1: few, AND 1:many. THAT is what makes them totally unique to mainstream media.
So. Clutch your pearls all you want, my friends, but the media part of social media is, in part, what makes it valuable.
The more you recognize the design of the system, the better you can find a way to make it work for YOU.
/fin
The more you recognize the design of the system, the better you can find a way to make it work for YOU.
/fin
I guess that wasn't so short after all. Bless.
