Social Media Musings

Facebook is taking over the world. Facebook is everywhere. I feel like Facebook is at every point I turn, its my personal life, my business life, my hobbies, my interests, my family, my journal, my expression, my curiosity, my personal brand. I am completely obsessed with it just as the next person, but lately, when I think of how much its dominating the world, I'm having a little "Facebook Fatigue" and I know I am not going to win this battle. The cool factor is gone, now its become business.
Its like Facebook has become the Internet itself. And its become social interaction in itself. Instead of TV commercials flashing their website at the end of a 30 second spiel they announce "Sears Canada, Find us on Facebook" with that little blue icon thingy. Seriously? Find SEARS on Facebook? Why wouldn't they just say go to Sears.com, where you can get more info and actually buy shit. Because (scary music) FB is the new Internet.
Or why did the so-called respected newspaper "The Globe and Mail" print a story today about the "Like" button. Because that fucking "Like" button is mighty powerful these days. See That Rant Here by the Lovely Hannah Sung. A story on the "Like" button applies to pretty much everyone, and appeals to everyone to read.
Even this blog you are reading, "Schoolyard Musings" is linked to its "Fan Page" on FB so that all my RSS feeds post onto the Fan Page. (Become a Fan Here LOLZ)

Currently, I am reading "Crush It" by Gary Vaynerchuk . This guy is basically saying, social media IS BUSINESS. So move over old methods and get on the fucking bandwagon so you don't get left behind. And its true, hes right. Social Media is now, its the future and its still evolving. Its just really mindfucking me lately. I tuned into watching Global News the other night, and what dawned on me was that nearly everything they were talking about was like OLD NEWS. Old because I had seen it on Twitter or some blog site earlier that WEEK OR that day. What is the future of TV Newscasts if we have this insanely new sophisticated network online? Crazy.

I was out for dinner with a lovely 30 something professional couple a small time ago. And naturally at some point in the dinner convo the word Facebook came up. And like "show and tell day" in fucking Kindergarten this woman pipes up and rudely interrupts me to point out and brag that she is not on the Facebook so there is no way she could know what I'm referring to. Politely I explained my story to her in words and phrases that she could understand. But this was my inner monologue: "HAHAAHHA you think you are soooooooo 'keep keep keeping it real' ehhhh!!! You are so hip and interesting that you haven't 'caved' into the addicting Facebook ehhhh lady. Wow what strength you have and what bragging rights you have, its as if I'm 300 pounds and you have just told me that you don't eat ice cream. Wow, lady, too bad for you that you remind me of those people in the 1990s that bragged that the Internet was a fad and to keep on faxing away. Get with the NOW or get waaaaaay left behind".

Yep that's what I thought in my head.

Truly, our world has been changing, its still changing. You can hang on to the old methods for nostalgia sakes or you can jump right in and start making it work for you. Facbook is a means to promote and develop your personal brand. It doesn't (and it shouldn't) act like an open book to your personal life. But this personal brand is whats going to get you your place in your community and career and other networking areas.

All this social media is spinning my head, its kinda overwhelming me, I know I'm not alone. But, I know that I gotta keep up, I gotta stay on top of it, cuz I don't want to get left behind. Throughout the movie "The Social Network", the Mark and Shawn character stressed about how Facebook had to remain "cool",  I feel it has officially lost its cool factor, but the weight of the impression has not been lifted and never will be. Its here to stay until we evolve with the next big thing.