But we are just in the infancy of it. As a person who is of a futuristic mind (NOTE: keep this thought when you reach the last paragraph), I am always wondering, “what’s next – how can we maximize what we are doing?”
As I sit here pondering, Social Media reminds me a little bit of what Television was like in 1946. The only difference in the mindset is, from the get-go, we expect it to grow and get better.
When Philo T. Farnsworth was finished tinkering around with his invention, he had no realization that the majority of the world would gaze upon it on a daily basis. Yes, TV brought a lot of excitement when it became available to the public at large, but at the time did anyone think it would go beyond the black-and-white kinescope?
Progress was slow. First color television was the big barrier, then cable and fast forward to VHS, Picture-in-Picture, Plasma TV, Pay-Per-View, Satellite, High-Definition, TiVo, specialty channels (all-news, all-sports, all religion…) and other cool services.
Social media is providing the same buzz (without rabbit ears or antennas – or for that matter, wires) and is transcending the way us digital peeps communicate in 2010.
There’s a line from the Little Rascals when one of the kids says to Stymie who is attempting to control a runaway vehicle, “Hey Stymie, where are you going?” He innocently replies, “I don’t know, but I’m on my way.” This is how we have to look at social media.
Like the **GULP** dot-coms, there will be survivors and shakeouts. Take a look at the graphic accompanying this blog. Realistically, I expect only 20% of these logos to be in existence in the next 3 years. Too many “me too” sites and services. If they serve a niche audience, great, they will have a following, but chances are funding, practicality and user indifference will be influential in placing a toe-tag on those that lack the Darwinian survival skills (aka 404).
Television in 1946 and Social Media 2010 share something in common – captive audiences. While we aren’t watching Westerns or Serials, our engagement is based on a quick message (Twitter) and personalization (too many sites to cite), which stems from common interests, but YOUR way. Video, text and user control are the appealing aspects of social media and it’s 24/7.
So, where does this lead us? More options, more services, more personalization? One can only wonder what a blog post will be sixty-four years from now: “SomeCoolFuturisticThing in 2074 is like Social Media in 2010.”
I plan to stick around to witness – and write about it; perhaps send it via telepathy, that is, if the chip inside my head needs upgrading – and my friends on other planets can access their Galaxy Version of their Facebook account. If any of the media have their transponders turned off, well, you may miss (Again!) another good story.
Yogi Berra was right. The future ain’t what it used to be.
