Where Social Media is headed, and what you should do about it

Posted: December 12th, 2010 | Author: | Filed under: Business, Web/Tech | Tags: | 9 Comments »

A lot of people are going to hate me for saying this, but social media is a fad. It’s just hype – a buzzword. I honestly believe that social media will not be here in three years from now.

That’s not to say everything we classify as social media will disappear also.

I simply believe that after a while the buzz around social media will wear off, and “social media” as we know it will just become embedded into the norm of the Internet in general. It will happen. Hype never lasts forever, and there will be another type of Internet technology that we can’t even fathom yet that will replace social media’s buzz.

So why are companies all flocking to utilize social media, many of them paying hundreds of thousands, even millions of dollars on intricate campaigns and strategies? Well, some of them are doing it for the wrong reasons – the ones who are simply using social media because of the hype are wasting their money. They will get no tangible results, whether in the form of sales or brand recognition.

On the other hand, companies who are reducing “social media” to its fundamentals and are building this knowledge into their entire business will succeed. The fundamentals of social media refer to human nature and how the Internet can be used as a catalyst for these emotions and relationships to function more effectively. Think of companies such as Air New Zealand and Starbucks.

So how should we think about social media from now on? Well, “social media” the buzzword still has two very important parts to it. Social, and media. They must be thought about separately, and then later combined.

If you’re thinking of jumping into social media either personally or in your business, ask yourselves these two questions before you start:

1. What is my core business? (eg. when I first started my business, what was the problem I was trying to solve?)

Once you’ve answered that, ask:

2. How can the advantages of the Internet (real-time, mass collaboration etc.) help me carry out this core business more effectively?

If you ask yourself these two questions before jumping into social media, you’ll be able to focus on the things that will help you and your business, and ignore all the hype that won’t be around in a couple of years. Also, don’t expect there to be an answer – social media will not help all types of businesses, because there may just be nothing that the Internet offers that can help your core business function more effectively.

I hope you will start thinking about social media differently. Let me know your thoughts!

  • http://www.techguerilla.com/ Matt Ridings – Techguerilla

    Michael,

    There are insights embedded within your post that still elude many of the top social media experts out there. The fact that you’ve already grasped the cultural shift that truly represents ‘social’ is even more astonishing given your lack of business experience. I look forward to watching your future progress as I can only imagine where your thought processes will take you.

    Cheers, and thanks for taking the time to share your point of view.

    Matt Ridings – @techguerilla

  • http://ianmrountree.com Ian M Rountree

    I’m with Matt on this one – your insights here are quite remarkable. Especially given your clarity of expression – you’d better believe you’ve got another reader, Michael. Keep it up.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Simon-King/100000677194879 Simon King

    Very nice work… Glad I found you. We will be watching you and letting you in on a wee secret come February!

    Now, as far as social media not being here in three years… I agree and disagree. As with all things, high-tech in particular, we expect and demand change. Social media as it is delivered and experienced today will change. But I think you are being short-sighted to claim that it will not exist in three years. 2011 will see a dramatic convergence between social and business and this will drive the much needed missing piece: real revenue. That will be followed (in the US) by what will surely be a dramatic presidential election year where all things social will play an immense role. I am not sure I want to gaze much beyond 2012 as three years is a lifetime on the Internet.

    As I said earlier… fantastic work! We will be in touch.

    Simon

  • http://mmoorejones.com Michael Moore-Jones

    Looking forward to hearing from you! Feel free to email me any time.

    And very valid points you make…

  • http://mmoorejones.com Michael Moore-Jones

    Really appreciate the feedback Matt! Thanks for taking the time to comment :)

  • http://mmoorejones.com Michael Moore-Jones

    Thanks Ian, look forward to discussing future posts with you!

  • http://twitter.com/sweetassocial Sweet As SocialMedia

    Haven’t seen your blogs before now Michael but got to tell you, all those “experts” at things like the Social Media Club could learn a lot from just one speech from you I think! Can we quote this blog in our upcoming online magazine too…? -Jess

  • http://mmoorejones.com Michael Moore-Jones

    Thanks for the kind words! I’d prefer you didn’t copy and paste the whole thing, but feel free to use parts of it. A link here would be appreciated :)

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Hugh-Devereux-Mack/690794651 Hugh Devereux-Mack

    Nothing really new here is there? (no offence meant) Social media is used
    to maintain relationships between people so it makes sense a company
    that can use it to develop a relationship with their consumers will
    benefit (if it’s a good relationship).It’s not applicable to all
    industries though, to be effective it must be current and relevant to
    peoples lives. For example do you want to know that your car mechanic
    has a special on timing belt replacements if your car doesn’t need it?
    Chances are this will never apply to you and if it does then you’d have
    to get one regardless of the special. What is useful is
    activities that promote REAL social activities for example coffee shops
    offering deals to followers or Arthur Divines promotions that are only
    offered to Facebook members. The reason is it makes people feel like
    they are in an exclusive club and can help to build brand loyalty
    increasing the chance they will stay with that organisation.Thoughts?