"staying on top of social media"
link: http://bit.ly/13asWsj
After much thought and personal overwhelm. I wanted to write a blog post that reflects accurately my own experience and interest in the wild west world of 'social media' #SM*.
Why do we care about 'staying on top of social media'? Just what does that entail?
'Google it,' one might say.
'Facebook & Twitter,' says another.
'It's a waste of time,' another quips.
As we've been exploring the many different channels and uses of #smcampn (Social Media Campaigns) on twitter and in our classes this term, I have tried to make sense of the common threads between the many examples and campaigns that I have been exposed to that have not crossed my path before.
The truth is, the World Wide Web is, as an understatement- MASSIVE. Is everything that we're doing inherently social now anyways? Every single website has a function: 'click this, like that', share, recommend, forward...'. The only words that don't seem to be used in this new marketing speak are 'sell, hunt down, bother, spam, push' to your friends.
Unfortunately, my brain, in its broken pursuit of finding answers and aggregations, has tried to look at the 'bigger picture'. This has created an overwhelm which I am trying to 'figure out'. I think its a dead-end cycle.
There are many different responses to 'how to stay on top of social media'.
Some may choose to: (hide under the couch)
Others may: (shout it from the rooftops)
Or others may try to research more and blog about it:
Or just pretend that #SM just doesnt exist.
Either way, I am curious as to the works of Leo Babauta- author of Zen Habits -who also heavily influenced the 'Minimalist' guys who write about #overwhelm.
His article "Walled-in Life without Facebook" is an interesting reaction to one aspect of social media and in-line with his whole ethos of seeking minimalism. He however is maintaining his twitter profile, which has over 120,000 followers and counting.
"I’m still able to express myself, even without Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, or Whatsapp (the latter three of which I’ve never joined). I express myself on this blog, and through occasional articles on a home-brewed site that I code and host myself." -Leo Babauta.
With over 1 million readers/followers/ people who agree, the list is growing. Without realising...he is creating his own #SM following, with or without the 1 tool that 'everyone' is supposedly on.
What does this say? Does this strike a chord?
I have more questions than answers at this point. Happy to discuss this with anyone else that may have some ideas around this.
*#SM //For brevity, I will use the acronym #SM in place of 'social media' throughout this article, and in the spirit of the medium itself, by adding the #hashtag as a semiotic function.//
