Photo courtesy: DinosaurTypes.net
What's Wrong With This Picture: Social Medians Extolling the Virtues of Social Media to Social Medians
I attended a local social media conference a few weeks back. And, while I enjoyed the company I kept that evening, I'm afraid I have to say I was somewhat disappointed overall.It wasn't really so much about the quality of the speakers, or the numbers in attendance that disappointed me. In fact, with about 200 people, it was very well attended. And, the speakers themselves presented well. (With, perhaps, one exception where a speaker decided the F-word sprinkled generously throughout her monolog somehow made for an engaging presentation.)
After a bit of debate and discussion later that evening with friends, I came to understand that the problem I had was an expectation of learning something new from fellow practitioners about the business applications of social media. Or, at least hearing compelling case studies about how it has helped businesses, governments or non-profits achieve their mission in novel (and profitable?) ways.
Yawn
Instead, I'm afraid that my experience amounted to listening to a row of social medians in presentation after presentation waxing prophetically to a room full of other social medians about the "revolutionary" nature of social media as a new "paradigm shift;" and how communication is evolving and social interactions democratizing information on a global scale.
(Yaaawwwnnn, anymore.)
4 overused terms
Am I alone here? Or are you as tired of these terms as I am?- Social media revolution
- Social revolution
- Communication revolution
- Paradigm shift
The way I see it, for any speaker, author, trainer, consultant, or what have you, to stand up anymore and describe social media as a "shifting paradigm" (present tense, as if it were a new revelation previously unarticulated to an ignorant mass of would-be disciples) is a bit like, I don't know, excitedly describing the obvious?
Look, the paradigm has done shifted. The masses have revolted. If there is anybody who hasn't come to terms with that yet, then let me introduce another term from pre-history: DINOSAUR.
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