The Growing Elitism of Social Media
Recently I questioned whether we were turning into social media snobs. This wasn’t an attack on social media per se – more a valid look at whether certain people in the social media arena were beginning to try and wield a little too much (and possibly unwanted) influence over the medium.
However, perhaps even more disappointing than snobbery is the elitism that seems to be creeping into social media as well. While they may share certain characteristics, they are two different beasts.
Instead of the “do as I do” approach I discussed in my snobbery post, there’s a growing trend of “I want to feel more important than you” elitism that’s becoming more apparent.
A good example is the Twitter phenomenon. At its heart, it’s an excellent tool to not only make new friends and potential business contacts – it’s also a great way to see a microscopic snapshot of someone’s life in nibble-sized chunks. The fact that Twitter only allows you 140 characters to say your piece means you have to use that space wisely. This can lead to some very inventive and humorous comments.
Yet lately Twitter has become nothing more than a virtual brothel for people to either whore themselves out or to come across as a “look at me, I’m great” type of person. As a fan of social media and all it can offer, I find that sad and a little disappointing.
I’ll be the first to admit that I’ll notify my fellow Twitter users/followers of a new blog post – but then, that’s fairly standard for pretty much everyone on Twitter.
Where the application is losing its appeal (for me) is the amount of people that shout out about how many followers they have, or how many more they need to reach 500, or 1,000, or something similar. When did Twitter become a popularity contest? Isn’t that what MySpace is for (and one of the reasons Facebook is starting to take over from the Fox-backed networking site as the most popular)?
Maybe it’s just me, but I can see from your Twitter profile how many followers you have, or how many people you are following. That doesn’t interest me – and judging by the reaction of some of my friends who have stopped following certain Twitter accounts, it doesn’t impress them either.
Instead, tell people about excellent sites or blogs they should be checking out. Tell them about tools they can use to make them more effective in either their online brand building or improving their social media awareness.
Constantly mentioning you have so many followers often emits an air of superiority that no-one really enjoys and can lead to them unsubscribing from your updates. Which kind of goes against all that social media stands for, no?
16 Responses to “The Growing Elitism of Social Media”
Hi Josh,
Exactly. I know there are some people that will always have so many thousand followers on various apps, but like you say, doesn’t it lose the intimacy of the connection? With 5,000 or 10,000 followers, how can you possibly keep up with all that’s being said or recommended?
I feel this is where there’s an excellent opportunity for someone to step in and make a more selective, business-oriented application. Yammer is a start, but it needs more.
Thanks for reading and commenting, appreciate it.
The way I see it, elitism is a natural condition for humanity. The fact that up until now, this phenomenon was mostly absent from Twitter only shows how far on the quality ladder this website used to be. Now it’s simply moving to mainstream.
Hmm… didn’t this comment sound a bit elitistic?
Regards, George
George Cozma´s last blog post..Black Hat BitTorrent Marketing or the Proof That Pirates Are Retards
Having lots of followers, or few, is a personal choice, and having thousands of people you follow is quite easy if you don’t feel the need to read every single tweet.
I use Tweetdeck to keep track of my followers.
I also don’t see the big deal in announcing your 500th follower, or you 500th tweet. It’s a milestone, a fun little blip to shout out. I have a problem with people who shout out everything they do business-wise and never interact, but what you’re talking about doesn’t bother me (even though I don’t do it).
I also don’t have followers/followees that do that. So it might be a different crowd thing. Most of my twitter friends are mid-20′s and up.
@ George – I guess that’s the price we have to pay for popularity. Although it can still be “controlled” (for wont of a better word) by the users – i.e., un-following.
@ Amber – I agree with your point about a shout out for personal pleasure – it’s more the ones who keep shouting out “follow me to become my 500th” or similar. Perhaps what’s needed is a different model for business-oriented Twitter users (as I mentioned in my response to Josh) – that way those that really want to interact will, and those that don’t won’t.
Thanks for reading and commenting, guys.
I guess it depends what you’re after; popularity or utility. As I see it, Twitter has ridiculous potential for creating effective networks within an industry. Conversely, it can be used in a similar manner to the traditional televisual media; i.e. create huge networks and then ‘shout’ at them. At the end of the day, it depends on the intended outcome. If you want more qualified solutions, then smaller more personalised networks seem to be the way forward. Alternately, if you are simply trying to raise ‘brand’ awareness, then reach may be more beneficial. Twitter is an interesting tool, and although i’m still reasonably new to it, I think that it holds real potential as an organisational tool.
The Lovable Rogue´s last blog post..The Future of Social Networking; What Future…?
I think this is the problem facing the majority of social media sites and networking, Chris (and one which you touched upon well with your last blog post). While there will always be the new excitement of finding a new toy to play with and watching it grow – which there is nothing wrong with – it gets to the point where it’s a case of “okay, I want more readers/followers, etc, than that person”.
It’s what put me off traditional media such as the one you mentioned, as well as unsubscribing from a lot of Twitterers (many of whom I have a lot of respect for, but please – enough with the self-promotion!).
As businesses and other types of non-traditional users get to grips more with what social media can offer, I think there will be a definite division in the type of apps available. I’m hoping it’s for the better…
Thanks as always for reading and sharing your views.
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with having lots of followers if that’s what you want to do. I also don’t have a problem with people tweeting about how many followers they have (I’ve done it myself) – but it’s really about the intention with which they do it. I tweeted about my 5000th tweet the other day because, as Amber pointed out, it’s something of a milestone. I did the whole thing rather jokingly (had a Twitter party, goofed around about being poetic) and it was a fun little interaction to break up the day. No harm done, and I don’t think I was perceived as being elitist. At least I hope not!
You have a very good point, though. There are people lurking about Twitter who are there to only serve their own purposes all the time. The ones who ONLY post links to their blog or their company’s web site yet don’t make any other contribution to the community. Sure, everyone is there to promote something and I see nothing wrong with that. But in addition to shilling their wares, people should make an effort promote others, say something genuine, and just interact. Isn’t that really what it’s all about?
Susan Murphy´s last blog post..Why I Blog
Great post Danny and great comment Susan – couldn’t agree more! Its about time people started saying these things…
In its worst form social media land is essentially just a faster forming, deeper form of the offline phenonmenon of cliques, tribalism and self-promotion. Particularly as it has been turbo charged by some rather cynical PR types (not to say all people in PR are this way though, don’t get me wrong!).
(As an aside, the irony that your blog theme is “by: Elite Theme” did make me chuckle!)
Dominic Campbell´s last blog post..links for 2008-10-25
I have found it an interesting journey getting into this social media world. I have joined a lot of the online communities I belong to as a way of connecting to others, but it is so easy to get swept up by the popularity contests! How many Facebook friends, how many followers, how many people read my blog, etc.
I find I am enjoying the mental gymnastics of trying to self-promote without being a pain. I organize events, I perform, so I try to get that info out in as many diverse ways as I can, while still trying to be modest little community minded me!
I guess it is really an extension of our personalities – actual or created for our online presences. So maybe we need to think about what we are projecting in every facet o8f our lives.
Okay breakfast calls – but thanks for the thoughtful post!
Sorry I missed the Twitter party for your 5000 tweet!
Halyma´s last blog post..Ottawa’s A Belly Dance Smorgasbord – Did you know?
@ Susan. That’s a very valid point, Susan. I think the main problem is that there is such a fine line to tread when it comes to genuine pride and self-promoting shouts for the sake of it. The people I mentioned I had stopped following were the ones that kept posting only their blog links, or their Twitter Grader score, etc. As you say, being happy that people genuinely want to follow you and are interested in what you say is fine – but make sure you also contribute to the community as a whole, and not just use it to further your own needs.
@ Dominic. I agree, and I think it’s an extension of what Halyma mentions in her response. The thing with social media (and any online form of communication, I guess) is that it is just an extension of our offline personas – the personality we are in “real life” will naturally be carried over to our online equivalent. Which makes me wonder what some people are like offline. And I agree with your cynical PR statement – this is something that both myself and my contemporaries need to address and change. Hopefully the more sharing aspect of social media will enable this. And good shout about the theme – definitely ironic!
@ Halyma: I think the “issue” of online popularity contests probably stems from the similar pressure offline – you need to hang with the cool crowd t school, you need to dress a certain way or drive a certain car to be accepted. Hopefully as social media grows and matures, the real sharing aspect of it will come further to the fore, and the false “friends at all costs” aspect will dwindle. With regards sharing information about events you’re organizing, this is the ideal medium for that and is exactly what social media should be. As Susan mentions, actively participating in the community is what it’s all about.
Thanks for reading and sharing some excellent comments, guys, appreciate it.
I think that one element that is missing from the posts regarding “popularity” online, and I have been guilty of missing this element as much as anyone else is the sense that “Social Media” is the next big thing, it is going to be the “Killer App” for 2009. Already people are predicting that Social Media Consultant will be the hot job of next year.
By garnering a large following, increasing blog readership, people are trying to shore up the position as a Social Media “expert”. Whether that is within an existing role at a company, in the hopes to make the leap to a new company or as an additional string to their bow to make their existing offering more attractive. In just the same way as SEO started showing up on just about every website as a service offering, from CopyWriters to Web Designers to Marketing Consultants everyone suddenly had the ability to be an SEO expert.
2009 will see everyone who has a Twitter account become a Social Media expert. What will they all be in 2010?Good points and very valid, Simon.
While people may be trying to add as much as possible to make them the “social media consultant for Business X”, they’ll quickly be found out when it comes down to actually following up on that claim.
Having a Twitter account and Facebook profile does not a social media expert make – something many people are already being found out on…
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your insights.
Hello Danny Brown.
As a newish person to twitter and facebook, I noticed the elitism pretty quickly. So I stopped and thought a bit about all of this?
Mark Shaefer-Grow.com had a very good post recently and from it I took heart.
It’s not a contest for me, it’s access.
I want to meet people, which I have learned how to do.
If I like a tweet I check in, if they respond then the conversation is on. If not, see ya!
I am tired of some the things you mentioned, its like primary school were everyone is talking about themselves all at the same time.
Conversation online can be hard to start, but I like it none the less.
Billy
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Hey there Billy,
Wow, this is a blast from the past post to pop up on – cheers for finding it.
And that’s the beauty of social media – let the elites do what they want and fawn to who they feel they need to. In the meantime, you and I can concentrate on building the solid relationships that will actually help us all grow…
Cheers, sir!
Cheers to you too!
Thanks for responding. I am starting to learn that bloggers are better at responding when you comment on their sites.:)
I will be looking in regularly now as I always find your content is helpful and informative.
Thanks
Billy
billy recently posted…. PENNIES! BUSINESS CARDS FROM HEAVEN AND THE ISSUE OF TRUST
“Where the application is losing its appeal (for me) is the amount of people that shout out about how many followers they have, or how many more they need to reach 500, or 1,000, or something similar.”
Amen. I’m quite proud of my low following/followers number. I try to be selective in who I follow. I see it as a way to connect with like-minded people. I couldn’t imagine how difficult it must be to keep up with a stream of 5,000 followers. I would think that it would lose its purpose.
Josh Garner´s last blog post..The Future SEO