The Buzzword Social Media Is DOA In 2010
December 27, 2009
Author 
In You have to love the wiki definition for buzzword:
A buzzword is a term of art or technical jargon that has begun to see use in the wider society outside of its originally narrow technical context by nonspecialists who use the term vaguely or imprecisely. Labeling a term a “buzzword” often pejoratively implies that it is now used pretentiously and inappropriately by individuals with little understanding of its actual meaning who are most interested in impressing others by making their discourse sound more esoteric, obscure, and technical than it otherwise would be.
This definition perfectly describes the largest buzzword of 2009 and 2010: social media.
It’s a buzzword not just because it’s overused, but because it has become too generic to describe anything in a meaningful way. When all websites and all media are social, social media as a term ceases to be relevant. It’s too bland and undescriptive, and has come to describe the internet as a whole.
Buzzwords have a fatal flaw we’re quick to forget: they are “throwaway” terms, in that they are doomed to be obsolete. Not that they can’t be taken advantage of while popular, they certainly can. But they’re buzzwords for a reason. Any industry tires of them and with time they become considered a cliché and used mostly by the new or uninformed. I’ve seen this happen repeatedly and cyclically in all of the industries I’m involved with: technology, marketing and music.
Social media as a buzzword encourages articles like this one at Forbes. Read the following graphs from the story, and mentally replace “social media” with “the internet” and it wouldn’t change the meaning. In fact, it makes it more accurate:
I primarily use Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and LinkedIn, in addition to my blogging, but I have become less and less enamored with social media over time. Although I was never a rabid user of Twitter, I did initially use it on a regular basis but now will frequently go days between tweets or without even looking at it…
..The reason for this isn’t just the novelty of it all wearing off. It’s more that it’s become less pleasant due to the amount of spam that is permeating the social media space, coupled with the overbearing commercialization that is taking place. Layer on top of this the erosion of privacy and it doesn’t look good. Even my college-age daughter, a prime demographic for social media, complains about these same issues.
Let me repeat this again: this is not social media. This is the internet. And the internet isn’t going away. Whether the buzzword social media lasts is another story.
A quote from Steven Hodson crystallizes this nicely:
Just because we slap a new term and some soothing pastel web pages together it doesn’t invalidate what came before it. It doesn’t change the fact that we have been socializing on the web long before someone invented the marketing term of social media. It sometimes seems though that the tech world has this inbreed need to proclaim something as new and totally different than what came before when in fact this isn’t the case.
I’ll freely admit I’ve used the term social media in posts and in titles here for the simple reason it attracts traffic, links and attention. As a marketing blogger, I consciously take advantage of that. It was an obvious play for bloggers in the technology or marketing niche during the last three years (you should do the same thing for hot topics/terms your niche – taking advantage of trends is huge). But in 2009 it reached a tipping point and was far too exploited, misused and misunderstood causing it essentially to become meaningless.
Would I name a blog or company with social media in the title? Not a chance, and my personal opinion is sites like Social Media Explorer, Social Media Examiner, Social Media Rockstar and others (content 100% aside) take a huge risk by building brands on top of a buzzword. They are tagging themselves to a term which – while popular today – is easily cast aside. Mashable may be tagged as “the social media guide” right now – but they were previously “social networking news.” Love him or hate him, Pete Cashmore is smart: he’s riding the trend for attention. But he’ll move on to another tagline to keep his site at the bleeding edge. The strategy is simple and effective.
Unless it’s an actual brand term you are working to grow as an individual or company, if you use buzzwords in your name you’re banking a large part of your strategy on something you do not control. Buzzwords can and do fall out of favor.
Many blindly share articles from major and obscure publications simply because they mention social media. I see “thought leaders” do it all the time. In many cases I know they are sharing the content blindly as I’ll actually read it the story and see it’s either inaccurate or a tired rehash of what’s already been said. Especially in cases where the story shared is from people who obviously know better, it’s clear they only read the headline.
Businesses and media – including bloggers – will continue hyping the term well into the future. But I’m noticing more and more it’s used by those who don’t have real social proofing or proven results themselves. 16,000 “social media experts?” Really?
I get the feeling many other seasoned digital marketers are not burned out on the internet, but burned out on the buzzword social media. I’ve consciously minimized my use of it in on this blog in 2009, however in 2010 I’ll be using it even less. How many of you feel the same?
Lisa Thorell replied | Dec 27, 2009 (4 comments)
Insanely wonderful title- you had me with the DOA.
But of course “social media” was the phrase du jour in 2009 — It reached mainstream consciousness and therefore every media node in our entire planetary eco-system had to signal its awareness of the concept by writing about it. And writing about it was guaranteed link bait for increased web traffic – feeding into was mandatory to keep CPM banner ad rates up.
Of course you are correct that the term will likely have much less usage in 2010. As your own blog post conveys so well about social media, and per an old Woody Allen quote, “The novelty has worn off, and the obnoxia has worn on”. It is being assimilated into our culture and therefore less worthy of discussion. But like oxygen to my breathing and a cerebellum to my movement- I would not disparage it just because it is a given, an essential, a well-known quantity.
Wogan replied | Dec 27, 2009 (2 comments)
No, we totally need to integrate our converged engagement strategy, by using best-of-breed service offerings and unrivaled expertise in the field of Social Media.
Urgh, my soul just died a little :/
Yes, buzzwords, bad, but fact is, buzzwords are still incredibly handy when it comes to the real business world. Sadly enough, it’s composed mostly of one-track-mind idiots. Exhibit A:
http://notalwaysright.com/the-good-the-bad-and-the-single-minded/947
So while they may pass out of use among the “leading edge” (another buzzword, yay), they’ll be around for a while to come. Business is only starting to get to grips with SM, after all.
~ Wogan
Mike Mintz replied | Dec 28, 2009 (1 comment)
I’ve had a love/hate relationship with the term “social media” for a while now, and have tried to come up with a better term. It’s not just about semantics. When I tell people that I am a community manager for a large professional network of lawyers they say, “oh – so you’re a webmaster?”
“No,” I say, “I’m a community manager – we have a team that deals with code and development. I’m more the people, engagement, and business development side of things.”
“Hmm,” they say, looking at me suspiciously and thinking that I just dropped a load of crap on them, until I say, “I work in social media.” Then they’re like, “oh, right, like Twitter and stuff.” Tired of the conversation, at this point I’ll say, “yeah, something like that.”
I will not mourn the death of the term “social media” as a buzz word among popular culture, but it does come in handy for the reason stated above, as well as, doing searches and Google alerts for things I want to read about. If I used as generic a term as “online” I would have to filter through even more junk than I already do (I read mabye 15 – 20% of the 150+ articles I pick up in RSS per day searching for the term “social media.”) I agree with you that it is risky to name a business after a buzz word (anyone out there still called “Web Surfers”or “Super Information Highway Cruisers”?), but as with my own blog, putting the term “social media” in the subtitle helps with traffic and orientation for new visitors. Of course, if your post is right and the term social media comes to mean anything online, well then I’m back to square one.
So what do you and others think the term to describe augmented reality, specialized online social networking, community and content sharing should be?
Wogan replied | Dec 28, 2009 (2 comments)
As Mike Sockol points out, there shouldn’t really be a specific *name* for the next generation of social media. Just like we don’t label our IRL daily interactions, or social gatherings with any special tag, so should we start considering our online interactions.
Hopefully, in the next few years, they become ambiguous enough that the concepts of “meetings”, “discussions”, “role-play”, “gaming”, etc start becoming ambiguous, all as part of a larger system for which we have no name.
~ Wogan
Denice Rochelle replied | Dec 27, 2009 (1 comment)
I tire of buzzwords as quickly as I tire of hyperbole. And I make a very conscious effort to avoid using them myself.
Promotional Products replied | Dec 28, 2009 (10 comments)
This is a pretty great article with an even better title. I would have to agree that this term is well OVERused and very few UNDERstand it. Thank you for bring this to print, I enjoyed the article and hope to read more of you material.
Mike Sockol replied | Dec 28, 2009 (1 comment)
Adam, I’ve been involved with the Internet since the days before the appearance of Internet Explorer. I think that makes me more old than wise, but I have seen dozens of buzzwords come and go, and you are right, once a term loses a specific meaning, it no longer has value. But it might be helpful to consider why we have buzz words in the first place. When you try to “sell” a new idea, you need to link to something tangible that acts as a way for a broader audience to understand the “next new thing.” When buzz words lose their cache, that’s actually a good thing. It means either a) the concept has matured to a point that it appeals to a general audience or b) the concept has failed to gain traction, and should now be allowed to die a quick and painless death.
Once a new idea isn’t new…it outgrows its buzzword…and new ones take its place as new ideas appear.
Mike
http://twitter.com/msockol
Ryan Hanley replied | Dec 28, 2009 (4 comments)
I live in Upstate NY. If I am at a Networking Event and use the word Social Media I get one of two looks: Fear (because social media is scary and only computer-heads know about it), disdain (that I some young kid (29) that doesn’t understand what real business is about because the social media is “playing around”). Seriously, you would think the Internet was created 6 months ago the way people view it around here.
My point is that I agree, the term “Social Media” came so strong and with such a broad definition that it has both been played out and never fully accepted at the same time.
I too prefer the term “Internet” because most small-, mid-size businesses seem to able to wrap their brains around the term and its importance.
Thank you,
Ryan H., http://www.ryanhanley.com
Eric Friedman replied | Dec 28, 2009 (9 comments)
I totally agree. It is amazing that everyone shares such links that you described on THE INTERNET. I also love the fact that your substitution works so well. I just did the same with another article I read and it make it seem totally ridiculous.
I think the term social media needs some help and will continue to get used in 2010, but will help us identify who may not be on the bleeding edge.
Karen Swim replied | Dec 28, 2009 (2 comments)
Great points and I am among the ranks of the burned out. Many people remain in the dark about what the term means and are more interested in understanding in real language what “social media” does or can do for their business. It is a good reminder to refrain from jargon when trying to communicate outside of an insider’s circle.
Tom Gable replied | Dec 29, 2009 (3 comments)
The piece nailed what most industries, niches, technologies and areas of science encounter when they take on a new direction: what to call it? The approach often leads to using metaphors and evocative terms. With the Internet, the media started calling it the information super highway in 2004, right after the introduction of Netscape. Then, evocative descriptors evolved to include electronic malls, villages and portals, among others. You make a great point about Mashable changing tag lines to position itself for riding the latest trends.
In PR, or what some call reputation management, most look upon Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, Flickr, YouTube, etc., as part of the communications tool kit or arsenal. Perhaps more importantly, they are valuable media channels to be used strategically as part of integrated PR and marketing communications programs the same way television, radio, magazines and newspapers fit within a traditional media mix. This may be oversimplifying the category (and it’s probably been used a thousand times by others) but why not Internet Media? That might even work at a cocktail party or networking event, where social media doesn’t, as noted above in different comments.
Andrew Eklund replied | Dec 29, 2009 (1 comment)
Excellent post. Unfortunately, there are still legions of people who love to hear that something is “DOA” and is therefore irrelevant. The point in your post, however, is much larger than that: the term “social media” is dead yet the concept is beyond alive and well. Many business people read these articles and say, “Great! Don’t have to think about that one anymore.” So, they fool themselves into yet another year of wishful thinking that the world is flat (not harkening back to Friedman, btw). I remember it with “ecommerce” or “web sites.” All were just as real as before they became buzzwords.
The fact remains that all of this — buzzword or not — isn’t a fantasyland. These buzzwords represent the incredible speed of innovation in communications and commerce. No more, no less. Language changes rapidly in this business not because of hucksterism but through innovation. If you grasp that, you’ve got it, and you’re focused on the right moving target.
Well done.
Andrew Eklund
CEO
Ciceron
@aeklund
Mike Brewer replied | Dec 30, 2009 (1 comment)
It seems to me that the social media buzzword was started by an older more -internet came along after we were into our developed years generation – as a way to frame the conversation.
For the younger generation – it’s just what they do – it’s not social media – its a way they communication. They don’t say, “social media me later” – they say, “Facebook me or send me a tweet on that.” Not unlike we might have said, “email me or send me a fax.”
I really like what Gary Vaynerchuck callls it: “It’s business” -
Peter Lynch replied | Jan 7, 2010 (2 comments)
Love the list. I really believe this buzzword is dead because it has been miss-used, more than over-used. Amazing how many “social media experts” there are out there.
I have a similar list on the 11 corporate jargons I think need to die in 2010.
http://www.businessandthegeek.com/?p=143
Leo replied | Jan 13, 2010 (1 comment)
i disagree, sorry.
“Social media” is not a “buzzword”, it’s a term assigned to a very specific kind of websites.
This kind of websites is defined in very certain terms: The website network where users can create their own profile and communicate with other users of the same network.
I just came up with this definition quickly right now, but of course it can be more precise and expanded, but that’s the major meaning of this term. When people hear and use this term, they now EXACTLY what what it means – a website similar to Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn etc.
The term “social media” maybe not exactly precise, but terminology is often being like this. A more precise term would be probably “social websites”. For example, what us “newspaper” – not everything is news there. Is newspaper a “buzzword”?
Your Forbes example doesn’t proof anything. No, you can’t replace “social media” with “internet” No, this woman did NOT get tired of internet in whole. She got disappointed in social media sites like Twitter and Facebook because of certain specific things she didn’t like about them.
Internet is much more than “social media”. The more I use the internet, the more amazing opportunities I find in any area of life and for my business. And yes it includes “social media”.
Now, the real buzzwords in my opinion are “GREEN”, “EVIRONMENTALLY AWARE” and “CARBON FOOTPRINT”.