The Social Media Spectrum
Lately, I've been pondering on SM a bit, partly because it is a popular strategy for spending time these days and partly because it seems to be the most effective way to promote something. So, instead of trying to bin SM into neatly defined categories like in the previous SM article I wrote, this time I’ll attempt to explore the spectrum SM lie on, based on their effect on their users.
Note that this is a very simplistic approach to an overly complex matter and it may not be representative of the situation. After all, things like an SM’s privacy policies need to be taken into account too before evaluating an SM platform. However, the proposed heuristic can be a useful aid in assessing whether an SM is worth your time or not, in general.
This heuristic has to do with how much long-term satisfaction you derive from using the SM at hand. A proxy for this is how likely you are to return to it after a hiatus of, say, 3 months. In other words, if you were to do a digital fast for that SM, would you really miss it enough to return to that old habit? Or to put it another way, would you ever regret spending time in that SM?
On the far left side of the spectrum, we can put all those SM that provide you with transient satisfaction and which you're least likely to miss after you take a break from them. Things like Facebook, for example, are more likely to fall there. As for the other extreme, that's where those more fulfilling platforms are likely to be found. SM like beBee are akin to that side of the spectrum. Naturally, where each SM lies depends on how each person uses it, so bear with me for a minute as I explain my rationale.
SM that provide limited satisfaction in the long term are SM that are optimized for one thing: regular engagement through little to no effort. Anyone can check those SM every few minutes, interact with some content there, and not break a sweat. It's almost like a game that requires no skill, like some idle games out there (seriously that's how they are called). In other words, even a pet could do it.
On the other hand, SM that provide a lot of satisfaction in the long term are SM that expect the user to do something to earn this satisfaction. This can be reading something, engaging in a discussion about something, and even producing new content. Naturally, this sort of SM are not as popular since it’s much easier to just share something you come across on the web, instead of painstakingly put all those words (and images) in order, running the text through a spell-checker, proof-reading the whole thing, and sharing it with the world. All the while, when you put something like this out you are taking a risk since someone may find it offensive or just plain wrong, because it may not be aligned with their values or convictions. Also, the fact that some people may not be able to express their disagreement in the most diplomatic manner may make things more challenging, especially if you have a sense of pride for your creation.
Naturally, most SM are bound to fall somewhere in between those extremes. Where exactly depends on your contacts, the content you engage with, and your perspective, among other factors. That’s why this sort of assessment of SM is highly subjective and may not scale very well as a KPI of sorts. In any case, if your content is good, it is likely to add at least some value to your brand regardless of where you promote it. If you choose to engage with your audience, however, in an intelligent manner, you may want to be more eclectic regarding where you do that. Cheers!
Articoli di Zacharias 🐝 Voulgaris
Visualizza il blogOverview · Mentoring is one of those subjects I can talk about till the cows come home (the other su ...
Introducción no tan técnica · Cualquiera que se haya adentrado en el mundo de la informática ha oído ...
In a world where information is abundant, being able to process it and do so efficiently is a valuab ...
Professionisti correlati
Potresti essere interessato a questi lavori
-
Social Media Specialist
Trovato in: Buscojobs IT C2 - 4 giorni fa
Armonia Digital S.r.L. Salerno, ItaliaIl nostro studio è in cerca di un Social Media Specialist pronto ad unirsi al nostro team · Armonia è una software house che si occupa di progettare e sviluppare piattaforme ed esperienze digitali intuitive e performanti. Il nostro Studio di creativi, digital geek, e cultori del ...
-
social media specialist
Trovato in: Talent IT 2A C2 - 3 giorni fa
Omicron srl Milan, Italia A tempo pienoOmicron S.r.l., società in forte espansione nell'area della consulenza informatica e nella realizzazione d'importanti progetti ad alto contenuto tecnologico, ricerca: SOCIAL MEDIA SPECIALIST (Remoto) Buona esperienza in attività di marketing e comunicazione; Esperienza specifica ...
-
Social Media Manager Junior
Trovato in: Bakeca IT C2 - 4 giorni fa
TOP QUALITY GROUP SRL Citt di Castello, Italia OTHERTop Quality Group ricerca un SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER JUNIOR da inserire nel proprio Ufficio marketing. La persona selezionata dovr occuparsi di: Realizzazione di contenuti social Gestione di canali social Scrittura e contenuti testuali da pubblicare on-line Offrire supporto al team ...
Commenti
Fay Vietmeier
3 anni fa #19
Ali \ud83d\udc1d Anani, Brand Ambassador @beBee Blessings back my dear Professor and "best bee-friend" ;~)
Ali Anani
3 anni fa #18
Fay Vietmeier You are even closer now my spiritual mentor
Fay Vietmeier
3 anni fa #17
Ali \ud83d\udc1d Anani, Brand Ambassador @beBee My dearest Professor ... this is why I am engaged on beBee ... you are a wonderment and a wonderful ambassador Javier \ud83d\udc1d CR I feel exactly the same "You are a close friend even though you are thousands of miles away" I have learned that "God is the Master-Weaver" ... I'm blessed that He wove you into my path "Pearl-seekers are pearl-finders" (one of my drafts) "I do not cease to give thanks for you ... remembering you in my prayers"
Ali Anani
3 anni fa #16
Fay Vietmeier As much as I am curious to know how peaceful you are dear Fay with yourself. I am sure most people need to have this peace you have in your heart. Thank you for your very kind words. You are a close friend even though you are thousands of miles away (WOW@ this is a paradox for you) Cheers
Fay Vietmeier
3 anni fa #15
Jerry Fletcher Thank you for saying what I'm sure many bees feel ... ... satisfaction comes from the engagement. sometimes it is just being able to read real thinking. At times it is in brief but fulfilling conversations. Once in a while I want to feel that my ideas touched somebody. The interaction is, for me, the way to weigh the worth." ... most especially to have your "ideas touch someone" ... to challenge thinking ... to change hearts or attitudes ... I find that purpose-full ;~)
Fay Vietmeier
3 anni fa #14
Ali \ud83d\udc1d Anani, Brand Ambassador @beBee THAT my dear Professor reflects much about you ;~) I was going to ask you about it but then you saved me the trouble ;~) Sadly, many people are "conformers" ... This reminds me of fish flowing with the stream ... down stream A questioning mind is a great gift ;~) "I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious" ~ Einstein
Ali Anani
3 anni fa #13
Thank you, but we must have the courage to correct for our typos.I could have deleted the comment and replaced it with with a new one without the typo. Then I decided it is better to correct a typo than run away from it.
Zacharias 🐝 Voulgaris
3 anni fa #12
I'm sure no-one thought you meant 203% my friend!
Ali Anani
3 anni fa #11
Fay Vietmeier There is a horrible typo in my previous comment. I typed Only 203% and I meant 2%-3%.. Instead of a slash I typed 0 which are close on the keyboard.
Zacharias 🐝 Voulgaris
3 anni fa #10
Same here, Jerry. I remember stopping beBee for a while once (I didn't have much to share at that time). The fact that I returned and was even more engaged with the platform was evidence for me that there was value in it. Cheers!
Jerry Fletcher
3 anni fa #9
Ali Anani
3 anni fa #8
Fay Vietmeier True my friend. But my expectations are in line with observed human behavior on social media and everywhere. Only 203% are genuinely engaged, with around 15% early adopters. That is why we suffer from group think. Most people are conformers. Is this a disguised form of laziness and shallowness? Yes, at least to some extent. Sp, I expect the engaged to remain engaged and that some early adopters as well. Percentage wise we are talking about 5% of all readers of a post, to give one example.
Fay Vietmeier
3 anni fa #7
Ali \ud83d\udc1d Anani, Brand Ambassador @beBee You once said" shallowness is spreading" ... corona pales in comparison Pretty sure "shallowness is a close cousin of laziness" ... "even a pet could do it ... ... regular engagement through little to no effort" makes one think ;~) A confirmation of the irony of "social media" ... which often turns out to be "social distancing" ... Everything is a sowing & reaping ...
Ali Anani
3 anni fa #6
Zacharias 🐝 Voulgaris
3 anni fa #5
That's true. Not every platform scales well and some of them are better than others. Hopefully, beBee will pass this test! I don't think there is a perfect platform out there. That's why I respect those that make an effort to evolve, like Minds for example. Not everyone likes this sort of change, but overall it's beneficial. Like Taleb would say, antifragility in the whole means that some parts of it will have to be fragile (and eventually sacrificed in a natural way). Yes, outliers are not something that most algorithms can handle well. That's one of the reasons the Ozone Hole remained undetected for so long (it was an outlier reading that was dismissed until someone eventually took notice). It's likely that many people who are on beBee and other alternative SM are outliers of sorts for the other, more established SM. Diaspora would have been my favorite SM if it were less niche. However, it seems that those behind it wanted only the top power users of the web to be part of it. This SM seems so exclusive that it makes Mensa look inclusive! However, there are other privacy-oriented SM out there, Minds being the one that seems the most promising. Thank you for the insightful response.
Zacharias 🐝 Voulgaris
3 anni fa #4
I agree. Satisfaction for me is similar, though I do find certain less tiring tasks, such as a short buzz on LI satisfying at times. However, whenever I post something on beBee, satisfaction has a more long-term effect as it is often a growing experience. It is indeed difficult to find a post in some SM, something that makes me wonder whether the platform does that on purpose. This may not be a problem for some people who don't care about revisiting their posts ever again, but for me, it's a nuisance. The fact that beBee (and some other SM) makes it easy to find what you are looking for is definitely a plus. Yes, the writers that don't bother to engage with anyone else are a bit of a pain point of beBee lately. I wonder if it's a side-effect of the Covid-19 situation, or if it's inevitable as the platform grows larger. Thank you for your insights and for the share!
Zacharias 🐝 Voulgaris
3 anni fa #3
CityVP Manjit
3 anni fa #2
Ken Boddie
3 anni fa #1