We're not having a conversation

I’ve said it before and now I have some backup. Social media is not about conversations. It’s a great way to consume and share content, but the notion that we’re all somehow part of a giant dialogue is crap.

According to a new article in AdAge, only about 1% of social media users actually ‘converse’ with the brands they follow. Most of us are content to let others do the talking. We might retweet or share, but we rarely reach out to those we follow directly.

It makes sense. We are who we are. Did you really think that social media would somehow change our personalities? Sure, it makes it easier to be heard. Which means a few more of us probably reach out to brands than before. But the fact is, most people are pretty private, even in a social-media saturated society. So they only talk with people they know. 

What does this mean for brands?

It means that it’s okay to 'broadcast’ your message. It’s okay to create great content and deliver it to the masses. It’s okay to try and influence the way others think and feel about your brand.

But isn’t that the way things have always been?

Yes. And that’s kind of the point. Every time the media space changes, everyone wants to claim that the 'game has changed, forever’. But it really hasn’t. It’s evolved. Like it always does. 

That doesn’t mean we don’t have a lot to learn, however.  Just look at recent PR debacles from Netflix, Bank of America and others to see how one blunder can do serious damage to your brand. Word-of-mouth is more important than ever, now that our 'mouths’ have greater reach than ever.

We also have a long way to go on the creativity side. How many great Facebook or Twitter campaigns have you seen? The only good one I can think of is the anti-drug campaign that utilized Facebook’s new Timeline feature. And even that fell short, in my opinion, because the execution was a bit off.

So we have a lot of work to do. Just like we had a lot of work to do when the Internet blew up. Or when TVs started appearing in every household. Or when people stopped writing in the dirt and started writing on cave walls.

Let’s keep learning. Let’s keep working. But lets not lose sight of history and pretend that the world has changed every time something new comes along. 

It hasn’t. And the fact that we have this same debate every few years should be proof enough of that.