Social Media News... Lite

Nary a day goes by without a news story about social media. Daily they cross over from the internet to conventional media.

John Mayer abandoned his 3.7 million Twitter followers, declaring, "I just think Twitter as a form of communication, I think it's over to be honest with you." Hmm. Then Mayer concurrently announced he'd be communicating with his fans via Tumblr, as well as his long established website and Facebook pages.  Seems to us that's tantamount to renouncing martinis for gin and tonics.

Recently, Harrisburg University staged a one week Social Media blackout -  no Facebook, Twitter, Texts, IM's etc. After the week, students were asked to reflect upon the experience and write essays about it. Early reports indicate actual face-time skyrocketed as did conventional vocal conversation. Is this surprising, professor?

Dr. Keith Ablow, author and Fox News psychiatry correspondent has some fascinating thoughts on the foibles of Social Networks. Quoth the good doctor: Facebook, Twitter and other Web activities have the potential to increase narcissism and decrease the ability to empathize with others. Calling 1,652 people your friends (and sort of believing it) will do that to you. It’s a very big lie, and telling big lies about oneself has psychological consequences. So does posting 426 photographs of yourself, without any shame that doing so is almost unspeakably -- well -- self-focused. So does tweeting your whereabouts, as though people should really care. 

All three of the previous items highlight the fluff, the quirky and the negative of social networks. What’s not as juicy/newsy is the utilitarian side of the media - the fantastic breakout successes smart marketers are achieving through its use. They know - unlike rock stars and petulant students - that its power lies not in the me but in the you. 

American Express' Idea Hub, a forum dedicated to small business owners, saw its unique visitors rocket from 160,000 to over one million in just a year. Cree LED established its own community for consumers and B2B with The LED Revolution, (a microsite supported by Facebook and Twitter), showing the advantages of LEDs over CFLs (for starters, they don't make you look like a cadaver). A clever idea that is getting Cree lots of attention. HSBC bank is having terrific success with an online resource for entrepreneurs. Dozens more abound, but they just don't make headlines. That's okay.  They make hay.

LB

Texting While Driving or Drinking While Texting?

Recently, a notable Hollywood plastic surgeon drove his Jeep off a Malibu cliff while texting. Dr.  Frank Ryan, plastic surgeon to Heidi Montag and other celebs, was allegedly Tweeting about his dog just before the big plunge.  Apparently the doctor is not unique. The president of the American College of Emergency Physicians says, "It has stopped being an oddity when we hear that someone was texting and has a wreck. Now it's more of a fairly common occurrence."

The verbiage surrounding such news items often features words like tragic, accidental and unfortunate. Shoddy journalism. It's stupid. And negligent. People expect drunk drivers to be prosecuted. Why not texting buffoons? Isn't their act of keyboard thumb-hockey every bit as reckless and lethal as driving under the influence?

We at VMG love Twitter and texting and all things digital. But at freeway speeds, we'll have to amputate all texting thumbs. No exceptions.

On a non-lethal level, another Facebook imbroglio caught our eye. A Massachusetts high school teacher was canned over some uncomplimentary comments about her students and their parents on her Facebook page. She referred to the kids as "germ-bags." And what of it? In fact, they are. My daughters brought home more contagion from pre-school than the CDC could identify, and the onslaught nearly killed me.  June Talvitie-Siple ( supervisor of the school's math and science programs) also referred to some parents as "snobby" and "arrogant." Gee. Anybody out there know someone like that?

Initially, she blamed the Facebook interface, which is far from intuitive, for its inscrutable privacy settings. We were on June's side until, in an act of unforgivable cowardice, she apologized for these meaningless transgressions, saying "I take full responsibility for my stupidity and I hope it serves as an example to kids that they need to be very, very vigilant about their privacy."

Well, of course, June. Everyone should be careful about their privacy. But why must they when expressing valid opinions?

 LB