Introductions

Well, here is my very first post in my brand new blog. Hello out there! It’s about time.

I have decided to start this blog for a multitude of reasons, but most importantly due to the fact that I am discovering more and more by the day that I have a passion (or obsession??…yikes) for the world that my friends and I live in–the world of social media–a world that many grown-ups don’t understand.

I use the term “grown-ups” loosely. I am not referring to their age, but rather to a particular viewpoint that is quite foreign to me. I, like my fellow Millennials, do not simply use social media, but live my life on it. I wake up with Facebook, work on Gchat, get my news through Twitter, and entertain myself on Hulu and YouTube. The thought of not being connected is tough to imagine. This past Christmas I was on a cruise with practically no web access, forcing me to sign off. I did feel liberated, but even more so, I felt uncomfortable. Frustrated. Disconnected. And I didn’t know what to think.

I also work for a marketing and advertising agency, and have begun to notice that “Social Media” is the new buzzword. The grown-ups I encounter speak about this as if it is simply another medium: “We want to be on social media.” “It’s about time that we get on social media.” “Every company should have a social media presence.” This is all fine and dandy, but as a true, long-time social media user, I have come to realize that the vast majority of these marketers have no idea what they are doing.

Until now, brand communications have been a series of monologues, and the majority of grown-ups have entered the world of social media with similar expectations…and have been failing miserably ever since because they do not provide any value to users.

***Note: There are some brands who do get it, and I salute them. JetBlue. Home Depot. Burger King. Comcast, for God’s sake! If a cable company can learn to actually develop a dialogue with its consumers, any brand can.***

Anyhoo, I plan to use this blog to talk about anything that catches my interest within the social media world–the good, the bad, and the ugly. (Really, Abercombie? Really?? Why on earth would you have a Twitter page if you’re going to post 6 times in 6 months?)

But I digress.

I hope that through this blog, I can learn and grow with this medium as it becomes better recognized for the influential behemoth that it is. I feel lucky to be living in the midst of this revolution, and I look forward to seeing how it continues to change the way we buy, share, and live.

Until next time!

Em

[Via http://grownupsdontgetit.wordpress.com]