The Social Media Paradox

The Social Media Paradox
"Doctor, I have 37 fans, 420 friends, 8 stalkers, 13
followers and 27 admirers... So, why am I so lonely?"

Social media is redefining the meaning of "friendship" and
leaving millions who are craving for connection starving
for more.

::::> Welcome to the social media paradox.

For example...

Here's a recent email I got after signing up to Mixx.com
recently:

Subject: Someone likes you over at Mixx

xxxx1199 thinks you are a really cool person who knows your
way around the web. Check out your new friend's
profile:

http://www.mixx.com/users/xxxx1199

Sounds like a potentially new "friend", right? So, although
I know the game, I still couldn't help but browse over to
xxxx1199 (name changed to spare the innocent) and, wow,
this guy has a zillion friends!

So much for our blossoming friendship, how could he
possibly have time..gees, with all the friends he has
already.

OK, that's a bit of an exaggeration but it illustrates the
point. A "friend" in the social media sphere is not a
friend.

I'm Serious!

Some may think I am making a big deal..trying to be
controversial or stirring up a semantic debate.

But no, let me assure you, I am serious.

Primarily because I see this "fake friend" mindset brought
on by the mind-numbing proliferation of social media
infecting an entire generation of young people.

Obviously, there are millions who have a desire for
community building, for being part of a team, for getting
input from a group or sharing an affinity for something
they like. This desire is as old as humanity.

Until the advent of social media, the way to participate
was usually face to face, hand to hand and, sometimes,
heart to heart.

Today, you could join hundreds of social media communities
without leaving the coffee shop.

The paradox is, although it is easier than ever to be a
part of a personal community, once you do so you'll never
hear the sound of another person voice, the touch of their
hand or feel the emotion in their heart.

Sidenote: But...you may get an email assuring you that you
are a "really cool person".

A Challenge To You

This is an important subject, especially to anyone involved
in social media marketing, because we have a choice:

Do we contribute to this fake friend revolution or do we
genuinely participate?

So, my challenge to you is the following:

1. Don't collect friends like baseball cards.

2. Reply to your friends, fans, admirers and
followers...get to know them...listen...heck, give them a
call.

3. Don't post thoughtless comments for the sake of a
backlink.

4. Offer to do guest articles for each other, or otherwise
increase the dialogue.

5. Create a Squidoo or Hubpages site and promote it for a
mutual charity.

6. Don't brown nose but compliment aspects of each others
site or content that you like.

7. In short... Give more than you are giving now.

I promise to take my own advice and perhaps, with our
collective effort, we can chart a better course for social
media and create genuine, lasting friendships in the
process.

----------------------------------------------------
Peter Lenkefi publishes social media marketing and blog
promotion tips at http://Web2Center.com . He is also the
co-founder of the Authority Site Center, a membership site
dedicated to serious business bloggers.