Social media is a bizarre medium.
In most forms of art and communication, the practitioners strive to excel. They understand what constitutes success, and they work together — whether as collaborators, friendly rivals or fierce competitors — to reach ever-greater heights of creative, technological and financial achievement.
Yet, in social media, we’re mostly content to simply co-exist in an ever-widening fishbowl. We all aspire to “something greater,” but few of us can honestly articulate what that something might actually be.
And so we swim in circles, trying to decide if the same peers we see every day are doing better or worse than we are, and no one’s ever willing to point out the obvious:
None of us are doing as well as we should be, because none of us are willing to insist on doing better.
If You Don’t Have Anything Nice to Say, Talk About Yourself
As a haven for narcissists, the only thing most “experts” are truly passionate about is themselves. This makes it nearly impossible to offer anyone constructive criticism, because their chief export is almost always their own personal brand.
In addition, “we’re all in this together,” which also means we’re all in competition. In terms of consulting, content creation and “personal branding,” this means your friend is your rival; helping them improve only hurts you in the end.
Doesn’t it?
Not exactly.
A Useful Thing I Learned in Art School
When I was a student at The Art Institute of Pittsburgh, my roommates and I shared a serendipitous bond: we were all incredibly driven to succeed. As a result, we were continually competing with each other, not because there were a finite number of As or Bs to be earned but because each of us was capable of achieving those As and none of us wanted to be the one who didn’t.
We also had an agreement: if one of us noticed that another was slacking off, we promised to call him on it. Sure, we might all be competing for the same jobs on graduation day, but we also realized that maintaining our collective momentum was the best way to ensure that each of us would keep pushing the envelope individually.
The way we saw it, if one of us succeeded, all of us succeeded.
Sounds like a winning formula, right?
So why hasn’t the social media fishbowl adopted a similar approach?
Everyone’s (Already) a Winner!
As always, I can’t speak for everyone in the fishbowl, but I do have a few guesses…
- We all have fragile egos.
- We’re afraid to rock the boat.
- We don’t want others to criticize us.
- Social media is overwhelmingly opinion-driven, which renders debate meaningless.
- None of us are ever sure if anything is really “better” or “worse” than anything else.
- “It’s just a hobby,” AKA, “If I have to think about it, it’s not fun.”
We’re part of a medium where bloggers continually offer generic advice on how others can get better at blogging, yet they rarely take the time to personally critique their peers and offer specific suggestions that could help someone improve directly.
Ditto for podcasters, marketers, SEO experts and other social media “gurus,” who are always more interested in befriending the influencers and burnishing their own reputations than in raising the bar of the industry as a whole. With rare exception, the entire fishbowl can be boiled down to sycophants and the easily-impressed, and it makes me wonder…
Why?
Why on Earth would so many of us engage in a daily habit that consumes so much of our time, has so much potential for growth, introduces us to so many people, and yet never take the initiative to demand more from our peers?
How are we supposed to learn if we don’t teach?
How are we supposed to improve if we don’t admit we need to?
And there’s your answer.
More than anything else, I truly believe that our reluctance to engage in constructive criticism stems from the fact that, for most of us who practice social media, this is the first time we’ve been accepted so easily into a (nebulous) social grouping. Once you’re “in,” it feels like we’re all one big happy family.
If so, why risk deflating the egos of your peers and being ostracized from the tribe?
Because a mediocre tribe is going to be defenseless against a predator with teeth.
Why We Can’t All Just Get Along
“Social media” isn’t new anymore. It’s media. It’s everywhere. You’re on Twitter? So is half of Hollywood. Differentiate or die.
Six years ago, only the hipsters were on MySpace. (Yes, MySpace). Today, every brand you’ve ever heard of is on Facebook. These tools you once thought were exclusive to self-important communicators like yourself are now being deployed by multinational corporations.
We’ve swirled around inside our social media fishbowl for nearly a decade now, ceaselessly debating ways to monetize, ways to compete, ways to collaborate, ways to hook the mainstream. And in that time, despite TIME Magazine telling you that YOU were the most important person on the planet, you still haven’t cashed in. You haven’t succeeded. You haven’t escaped the fishbowl, and gone on to Do Things That Matter with these democratic tools that were supposed to level the playing field and give college kids the same means to change the world as corporations.
We had authenticity on our side. We had individuality. We had originality. But we squandered it by not insisting that everyone do better.
With no gatekeepers, we had no one to impress. We sought niches, which are really just hiding places for when the mainstream swims by. We refused to adhere to a hierarchy, and those who assumed the mantles of mentors were reluctant to puncture the dreams of the people whose adulation made them tiny stars in a nascent universe.
So no one got better, because there was no one to dictate the terms of “better” and “best.” No one improved, because there was no reason to. And the mainstream never swept us away and turned us into household names because we’d burrowed too deep in our niches to be dislodged.
We’ve reached the point where both “old” and “new” media are insisting that we drop the “social” modifier and just call it what it is: media.
Now we all make media.
And that means you’re in direct competition with Viacom, Clear Channel and Disney.
The tide may finally have risen, and all boats may have been carried with it. But, unfortunately, we never insisted on building larger, stronger, faster boats that could compete outside the fishbowl. And now we’re swimming in a very different ocean.
The sharks have taken the bait, and the bait was you.
Is it too late to start demanding more?
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Tags: Blogging, Business, common sense, expert, perception, Sociology
Justin, I think you highlight the ridiculous hypocrisy that exists in the social media space nowadays. Over and over I see those in the know preach to businesses that don't “get” it to be authentic and transparent in their public operation.
All the time, it seems though that the same people are terrified in being brutally truthful within their OWN business model. Sure, it's great to highlight others who are doing good things and producing top-notch content, but how is it possible that everything you see is the most awesome thing ever?
The “fishbowl” analogy you mention appears like a systematic approach to maintain the status quo while continuing to allow others to invariably lie to themselves about their success. It surely doesn't help the industry out as a whole… as we've empowered a new generation who *believe* they're doing things right when we all know they're not.
The side effect benefit though to the market leaders is that it creates an even bigger barrier for others to supercede them in the “pecking order”. I really don't believe anyone is purposefully intending on doing this… almost all are generally trying to be the most helpful people in all regards. To have them shoulder all the blame would be ludicrous – but maybe we all need to shift from a puke-inducing “kumbayah” mentality and get down to real serious business. A business environment where survival of the fittest should be the mantra on everyone's mind when giving advice, help and conversing with those participating in the market.
That brutally harsh attitude may slowly become a profitable differentiation and in posts like this, Justin – I can see you're more inclined to do just that.
I think this is what differentiates the innovators/early adopters from the majority that flock to social media.
The people that immersed themselves in social media at the head of the adoption curve learned, shared and supported — and continue to do so. I truly believe that these are the people that want social media and its creators to succeed. They recognize the volume of work and the variety of specialties that exist and know it can't be reasonably accomplished by a small group of people. They push themselves, they push their friends and they try to push the newcomers because social media won't grow if we don't explore its potential and innovate new uses.
I suppose that's why these people also find it frustrating when the first words out of the newcomers' mouths are “how can I make money from this” rather than “what should I learn” and “how can I engage others”.
I'm afraid that there's nothing new under the sun; those of us who were early adopters of the Internet as a whole saw the newcomers come in with the 'How can I make money from this'. It's the old saying attributed to Hunter S Thompson – 'When the going gets weird, the weird turn professional'. That's what we're seeing with every new media cycle that there is.
Social media is nothing new, BUT the barrier to entry is so much lower than with earlier media that's hit the mainstream, so the market place has become flooded very quickly.
Justin, I just discovered your blog a few weeks ago but already regard you as a social media soul mate. Here's one reason why:
http://businessesgrow.com/2009/09/21/the-social...
While I agree with your main points, I would also say that over time, I have found a small audience of smart, authentically helpful people who are not afraid to challenge and debate. Without dissent there is no progress.
Thanks for this post.
Of course, I could play devil's advocate and ask: from whom should a newbie learn, if we veterans have never bothered establishing standards for success or reached our own lofty financial dreams? The bloggers who make $30 a year from blog ads, or the YouTubers who produce media that gets mere hundreds of views?
Most industry veterans have no business giving people business or creative advice in the first place, because so few of us have achieved any measurable kind of success. Instead, it's all sophomores endlessly educating incoming freshmen, because so few of us ever graduate.
“Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.” – Gen. George Patton
As much as agree with, and enjoyed, your post Justin. It was an example of why this topic of SM is “Treadmilling” (getting nowhere fast). Your words are designed for the “knowledgeable”, not the “learning”. Until we start speaking to our audience in a language they can understand, they will continue to throw their hands up in frustration, and thus, never really get it. We need to start “teaching”, not “lecturing”, as you suggested in the post.
Check the ego at the door SM instructors; nobody is really that good yet!
Keep Blogging my Friends!
I'd write a comment or blog post to respond to this, but I'd just be filling the fish bowl.
Coach: From your commentary, it sounds like you believe all blogs (or at least mine) appeal exclusively to the masses who are “still learning,” rather than those longtime practitioners who would consider themselves “knowledgeable.”
At which point do you believe someone is experienced enough to be trusted with more than just spoon-fed lists and sure-fire “how-to” blog posts? Or should we always presume that someone, somewhere, won't “get it” unless we hold everyone's hand all at once?
Meanwhile, yes, keep blogging, my friends. The fishbowl craves our redundancies.
“Silly Rabbit, Digs are for kids”! Don't take it personally Dude, it's an “high level” comment, meant for all who are looking to help expand SM. Teaching is the order of business, not lecturing. In teaching a very new subject matter, it is best to address the majority, and allow the minority to ask follow up questions. I am sure that the majority here is, “What the hell is Social Media, anyway?”
Justin – I think small business has the power to help social media 'experts' achieve returns on their expertise.
Global corporations aren't going to hire an outside consultant with a moderate amount of influence, but that's exactly who can help small/medium business. Rather than catering to a self-promoting, expect-things-for-free, hipster crowd, cater to businesses who expect to get what they pay for.
Yes, small businesses are extra budget conscious now. But when a small business looks at the cost of creating a print/direct mail campaign (huge waste of time, money, and trees) versus creating valuable online content and an engaged social media audience, there is no comparison. At least I'm betting my job on it.
Granted, you would have to painstakingly set expectations that social media marketing is not a magic pill, it does not exist in a vacuum, and that social media relationships cannot be managed by a revolving door of unpaid interns.
I work in the construction industry and there is a market for this. Unfortunately there are hacks taking stupid online social media courses and then trying to sell their “consulting” services.
Since you admitted to being in a salty mood this week, I'll add this. There is a person in my industry stalking me online, copying everything I do, and running her mouth about being a social media expert after taking said stupid online course. Argh!
When she asked to speak to an organization I'm a member of on the topic of social media, I asked to see her metrics and results. Needless to say I didn't hear back.
If experienced social media/social media marketing practitioners can create case studies with metrics, small businesses will reward you.
Like Emily, I consider myself to be a social media magician.
Just kidding… I love your stalker Emily… you should blog more about her. :)
@Justin – Your posts make me think I need to be a bit more of a contrarian every now and then. So kudos for that. I'll DM you my blog post when it hits and hopefully you'll dig it. :)
LOL. Thanks for cheering me up Chris. You know I fear that she will find this. She isn't following me on Twitter, but she reads my tweets and then follows my tweeps.
I need an online restraining order.
Wow, it's like yesterday was “Demand More from Social Media” day: http://outspokenmedia.com/social-media/improve-...
[...] I’ve been ranting (again) about social media’s need to improve. This usually happens every 6 months or so, [...]
[...] solution is to get out of the fishbowl, make it a competition, and find a way to win. Drones are notoriously nimble bandwagon fans and [...]
That assumes this entire discussion hinges on making money rather than helping others understand effective use of social media, and sharing our experiences with developing, producing and publishing content in an efficient manner.
Not necessarily. Even if your only goal is to efficiently share
information, there's still the question of what information you're
sharing, and how.
Granted, most of the people who half-ass social media do it to get
rich quick. Not too many people are going to spend their time
half-assing the dissemination of information for information's sake.
But even in that role, I'd be overjoyed to see a dedication to pushing
the envelope and providing contextualized data that everyone can use
to build the medium up, rather than another thousand posts about “How
to write headlines people will actually read.” There's already SO
MUCH of the same information out there that repeating what's been said
adequately is only creating more noise.