- Image by mvndrvrt via Flickr
On the edge
Are you feeling it yet? That creeping feeling of discontent, that sense of things being not quite the same as they used to be when you first started, that nagging lack of fulfillment?
No, I am not talking about your job, although current research shows that 32% of employers are concerned about losing their high performing workers, and 33% of workers say they will be job shopping when the economy turns around.
I am talking about social media fatigue in the HR community.
Social Media Fatigue
A lot of my friends have been talking about their feelings on using social media. Twitter isn’t the same. Facebook is boring and useless, and everyone is sick of Farmville invites. It is so bad, people are even starting blogs to discuss the idea of social media going bust.
The discussion of social media fatigue has been going on for a while. Here is a time line if you care to see what was being said in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2009, and 2009,.
I don’t think social media is going away. I think it is much more likely that we are entering a period of “same old, same old” (Dalen and Palshaugen)
Facebook just got to 500 million members. They are releasing a movie about Zuckerberg. That is pretty mainstream.
Early Adopter Fatigue
I joined Twitter in 2007, and hung out with early adopter geeks from Silicon Valley. Twitter was their darling for about 6 months. Then normal adopters showed up, and MLM zombies, and Brands. The Silicon Valley early adopters fled to places like Identi.ca, Plurk, and FriendFeed. I think we are seeing the same thing take place amongst early adopters in the HR space now. Some users are tired, and may leave. Others are taking a break. And some of us are adapting our place in the space, moving from a social play/party environment to something more lucrative and profitable.
Social media fatigue isn’t new. It isn’t a trend. It is a part of the evolution of the medium. You can throw in the towel, or you can go along for the ride, or you can adapt. I plan to adapt.
Stay smart. Stay engaged. Stay thirsty, my friends!
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{ 52 comments… read them below or add one }
[New Post at The Human Race Horses] I am sick and tired of social media! http://www.thehumanracehorses.com/2010/0...
@MikeVanDervort what hurts me is that people that listened to me & created a real platform start wanting a bastardized version.
@mistressmia i know what you mean
@MikeVanDervort “Hell no, I won’t go” I will not do it. It takes 6 months to build a genuine channel and anything less is a lie!
I’m so glad you wrote this post Mike. It will be interesting to see what the next evolution is for us.
[New Post at The Human Race Horses] I am sick and tired of social media! http://bit.ly/ae7qEY
on HRH: I am sick and tired of social media! http://goo.gl/fb/fwmMJ #socialmedia #facebook #friendfeed
@MikeVanDervort is sick and tired of social media! Are you? http://is.gd/dGRbv
RT @MikeVanDervort: [New Post at The Human Race Horses] I am sick and tired of social media! http://bit.ly/ae7qEY
RT @lizstrauss: @MikeVanDervort is sick and tired of social media! Are you? http://is.gd/dGRbv
I am sick and tired of social media! http://is.gd/dGSZ6
@Sexythinker I am s sick and tired of social media! Are you? http://is.gd/dGRbv #hr #smee #shrm #prscamp #fb #in
RT @MikeVanDervort: on HRH: I am sick and tired of social media! http://goo.gl/fb/fwmMJ #socialmedia #facebook #friendfeed
I am s sick and tired of social media! Are you? http://is.gd/dGRbv #hr #smee #shrm
Reading RT @MikeVanDervort: I am s sick and tired of social media! Are you? http://is.gd/dGRbv #hr #smee #shrm
RT @MikeVanDervort: I am s sick and tired of social media! Are you? http://is.gd/dGRbv
http://www.thehumanracehorses.com/2010/07/25/i-am-sick-and-tired-of-social-media/
I am so sick and tired of social media! Are you? http://ping.fm/axJbt
RT @MikeVanDervort Good stuff on "social media fatigue" … Stay smart. Stay engaged. Stay thirsty, my friends! http://icio.us/ytisuh
"I am sick & tired of social media!" http://bit.ly/donlNM He doesn't speak 4 me!
RT @MikeVanDervort I am so sick and tired of social media! Are you? http://ping.fm/axJbt < amen brother
RT @incentintel: RT @MikeVanDervort I am so sick and tired of social media! Are you? http://ping.fm/axJbt < amen brother – The coming trend.
RT @incentintel: RT @MikeVanDervort I am so sick and tired of social media! Are you? http://ping.fm/axJbt < amen brother
Twitter: thelance
July 25, 2010 at 11:01 pm
I wonder if part of the fatigue is seeing SM growth as some sort of diminishing influence? Like, something is cool while there are a small number of people are involved but as soon as the masses adopt it, they want to find something else to be early adopters of?
It’s like when I started listening to Dave Matthews Band in the mid 90′s and it was cool and then the fans turned into loser frat guys with popped collars. Do you start to hate the music because of who else is a fan or do you just deal with it and get over it?
It is your decision.
Twitter: MikeVanDervort
July 26, 2010 at 9:07 pm
@Lance
I think it is exactly that. The cool kids get bored just as “the latest thing” becomes the current fashion trend. They are onto the next things, just like your prototypical Silicon Valley Geek or Indie rock fan. Who is more exciting this year, Vampire Weekend or the Kings of Leon?
I am sick and tired of social media! http://bit.ly/d9FuX1
Are you suffering from social media fatigue? http://j.mp/cjOdVA (h/t @MikeVandervort)
RT @Eric_B_Meyer: Are you suffering from social media fatigue? http://j.mp/cjOdVA (h/t @MikeVandervort) #hr
Twitter: incentintel
July 26, 2010 at 7:37 am
What follows is the comment I put on the blog:
socialmediabust (http://socialmediabust.com/) and thought it was appropriate to but here as well. Thanks Mike for posting – you picked up a lot of what I was feeling during our call on Saturday.
It’s like if you like ice cream. And then you crave it. Then you get it and you have the first bowl and it’s great. And it’s so great you have to have another, and that’s still pretty darn good so you have another. And that’s still okay then you have another? Then it starts to make you feel sick, but then you go to a friends house and their having ice cream and you don’t want to be rude so you have some they offer you.
Then you go to work and it’s someone’s birthday and they have ice cream for them so you have to have some more. Then you go home and you’re hungry but all you have is ice cream so that’s what you have.
Soon all you’re eating is ice cream – and you now hate it. But all your friends have just discovered ice cream and that’s all they talk about is ice cream.
Soon all you can think about is closing the garage door, starting the car and putting on an old Sultans of Swing cd….
That’s how I feel about social media right now.
Isn’t this just diminishing marginal utility?
Because barriers to entry are small, is this fatigue really a problem of differentiating good from bad social media as more entrants enter?
I’ve been thinking about this since the Will Leitch-Buzz Bissinger throwdown on Bob Costas live a few years back. Certainly, Buzz painted all blogs with a broad brush, but there was a reason Deadspin became a popular destination.
That being said, shouldn’t the creme rise to the top, so to speak? Shouldn’t we be able to separate the wheat from the chaff? How inefficient is the information market that prevents the reader from distinguishing the poser/pretender from the real deal?
Twitter: MikeVanDervort
July 26, 2010 at 8:58 pm
@Matt
I think there are definitely aspects of diminishing returns and marginal utility. I also think that to a certain extent, the excitement and rush of new friends and relationships wears off after a while. I also think that most people already know how to separate and retain what is important to them. (wheat and chaff)
Twitter: MikeVanDervort
July 26, 2010 at 9:05 pm
@Paul
Dude, put down the banana split and back away from the ledge. You can get your social media for nothing and your check….well it is in the mail….(with malaprops to the Sultans of Swing!)
I think social media serves two roles – one is inward facing (i.e., who am I?) and the other is outward facing (i.e., who are you?). It’s more valuable when used to share real ideas. I wrote a blog post about this as well (http://ls-workgirl.blogspot.com/2009/06/i-finally-get-it.html) although my perspective is a bit different since I wasn’t one of the early adopters.
Twitter: MikeVanDervort
July 26, 2010 at 9:01 pm
@workinggirl I agree with your comment about the dual role of social media. I will be reading your blog post right now!
I plan to adapt….RT @MikeVanDervort: I am sick and tired of social media! http://bit.ly/axBfyU
Nice post – latest annual outbreak of "social media fatigue"! #hrblogs #connectinghr #hr RT @MikeVanDervort: http://bit.ly/axBfyU
Twitter: MikeVanDervort
July 26, 2010 at 8:58 pm
Thank you Michael
@mikevandervort is "Sick & Tired of Social Media" today on his blog. Are you? Weigh in. http://ht.ly/2gvxE #HR #SocialMedia
Suffering from Social Media "fatigue" ?? Then check out this very grounded post from @MikeVanDervort – http://bit.ly/9pHGIN #HR
RT @sbrownehr: Suffering from Social Media "fatigue" ?? Then check out this very grounded post from @MikeVanDervort – http://bit.ly/9pHGIN #HR
@SBWorkforce Suffering from Social Media "fatigue" ? Then check out this very grounded post from @MikeVanDervort – http://bit.ly/9pHGIN #HR
RT @MikeVanDervort I am sick and tired of social media! http://bit.ly/9j2A8c
RT @MikeVanDervort: @SBWorkforce Suffering from Social Media "fatigue" ? Then check out this very grounded post from @MikeVanDervort – http://bit.ly/9pHGIN #HR
Pretty well read post: Ok, I'll say it. I am sick and tired of social media! http://bit.ly/axBfyU #hr #shrm
But I would miss you
RT @MikeVanDervort: Ok, I'll say it. I am sick and tired of social media! http://bit.ly/axBfyU #hr #shrm
Mike-Thanks for posting your thoughts which prompted me to think through my brief exposure (< 1 year) to "social media". I've decided that I'm not sick of social media. I'm sick of two-bit imbeciles trying to turn it and themselves into something that they're not.
I'm somewhat sick of people that I've never met asking to be my "friend" on Facebook. Have they ever had a friend? In their entire life?
I'm sorta sick of people with thousands of "followers" considering themselves "leaders" of anything. I've met them, they ain't leaders. Enough said.
I'm kinda sick of people with 3 years of paid work experience being considered "experts", "gurus", or "superstars" at anything. Hey, just make them your keynote speaker at the next unconference, and we'll package it up big time.
I'm pretty sick of the celebrities being created through nothing more than a two letter mantra which the sorry masses have come to live by…"RT"
I'm not sick of social media at all. I'm pretty sure I'm sick of most of the idiots using social media.
Twitter: MikeVanDervort
July 26, 2010 at 9:13 pm
@Frank
Are you sure you don’t want to come right and say how you really feel?
Can I get an amen?
I am sick and tired of social media! http://bit.ly/9j2A8c
RT @recruitmentjob: I am sick and tired of social media! http://bit.ly/d9FuX1
I am sick and tired of social media! http://ff.im/-ortKR
Yep, I have my days! RT @MikeVanDervort: I am sick and tired of social media! http://ff.im/-ortKR
RT @MikeVanDervort: I am sick and tired of social media! http://bit.ly/axBfyU