What’s the Current State of Social Media and Should We Be Worried?

The title of this blogpost is not meant to be tongue in cheek.

In less than a generation, social media has gone from a pastime for college students and geeks to becoming some of the largest companies on the planet with billions of followers (while slamming traditional media like newspapers and magazines along the way) and now seem threatened by their very success.

What does all this mean for ordinary folks like us?

Let’s talk about that!

The good news is, that for the time being, it probably doesn’t mean too much and we shouldn’t worry.

For the time being.

Social media used to be a very quiet area.

Yes, the usual vicissitudes of companies coming and going, debates over new features, and speculation about what was coming next were what we followers of social media would hear about.

There were concerns about privacy but, at least initially, people who raised these were dismissed as Cassandras.

Then the 2016 POTUS election came around and all this began to change.

Quite rapidly, I might add.

On, and then BREXIT and the COVID pandemic decided to pile on for good measure.

Remember fake news and alternative facts?

So, Mark Zuckerberg and his ilk went from wunderkind to Public Enemy No. 1’s.

I’m not here today to either condemn or defend Zuck and his friends.

What I am here to talk about is how social media seems to have gotten itself in the crosshairs of both major American political parties (Each with their own reasons) and that their only pubic defenders appear to be their own hired flacks.

I’d like to point out that there have only been a handful of people in recorded history who’ve had this distinction and, well let’s just say, it didn’t turn out well for them. 

People are now talking about anti-trust legislation (Ask IBM and ATT how that worked for them in their corporate histories!), break ups, and whatever else comes to their minds at the moment.

The only thing that I can confidently predict now is that change is coming.

Whether it’s from within these companies or from government bodies (BTW The European Union is all over their cases too and Russia and the PROC have their own ideas too.) there will be change coming in the world of social media. 

For those of us who make our livings with social media, we need to be ready.

We need to be able to explain to our clients what’s going on.

One other thing that I’m completely sure of is that social media will always exist.

Maybe Zuck ends up in a jail cell somewhere or becomes a barista, but something will step into the void created should he leave.

Forewarned is forearmed as the old saying goes.

Pay attention because the next few years are going to be very interesting in the world of social media!

That’s it for now!

Please check out my 8 step approach for developing a social media program for more ideas on how to use social media.

Also, never forget to reach out to either ask questions or to ask for help from someone like myself! In the meantime, thank you for following and reading my blog.

I look forward to any and all comments that you may have. I will reply to any comments made to this blog post as promptly as I can.

And, remember!

I do this for a living and if I can be of any assistance to either you or your organization, please feel free to call on me. Our initial discussion will be of no charge to you.

I can also be reached at conpsweeney@someddi.com.

My Twitter handle is @conpsweeney.

Stay well!