I believe there are lines in social media, as there is with everything I suppose. We speak so frequently about people/ businesses not being social enough but how about those people/ businesses that are being too social, bordering on annoying and In your face…and potentially the social media butterfly syndrome?
It’s easy to point out the flaws in being un-social, or not social enough, in this new social society we are in…but where do you draw lines and definitions of being over-social? Is someone that takes part in 5, 10, or 20 Twitter hashtag chats being “over-social”? Is someone that is up in your grill, and everybody else’s, saying good morning, good afternoon, and good evening being “over-social”? How about the person that has 500 followers and has 60,000 tweets?
I think being “over-social” is just as dangerous as being “under-social”, and being able to define that and draw those lines is good for a person or business. Like with anything, there is a middle ground, and it is better to be there than either of the extremes. These lines are not set in stone, there is wiggle room but I think each one of us needs to take a look at how and what we are presenting out there in social and either up our game, or take it down a notch.
Lately though, I have been more annoyed with the over-social, hyper active, in your voice social user than any other online type, which is why I am writing this. So who are you? How are you presenting yourself? We can’t please everyone but it’s never a bad idea to reflect on you and how you are doing things. Cheers!!
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I totally agree! I’ve been super annoyed with the over-social of recent. I’ve even started regulating my own social behavior – only checking a few times. I started enjoying the content more once I got rid of some of those social butterflies in my feeds. While I’m still “social” on social media, I’m now able to enjoy the value social media brings – the sharing of ideas.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m thrilled to see people using social media to banter back and forth and I am very aware of the influences of that behavior as a marketer. But personally, I’ve stepped back. Social de-tox from time to time has become a necessity. The hyper activity created through having to manage so many interactions is stressful.
I’m finally at a point where I can relax and enjoy social. I would imagine this is happening to a lot of people. And we will see trends emerge in social stats that reflect this whiplash of use into a more leveled out interaction.
Great article, I think this will yield some interesting conversations.
The comment from Mandy suggested “we will see trends emerge in social stats that reflect this whiplash of use into a more leveled out interaction” is really interesting (and well written: love the image and sense of immediacy created by the word whiplash). I think for many people this will be true, but I can’t help thinking we could easily see many users going to the other extremes. High frequency, high tweet count users will always attract attention if there is true interaction or useful information. And low tweet count accounts will always have followers if the importance of the tweet outweighs the need for frequency (eg an account that warns of possible Tsunami) Especially as tools (both in-house and third party) make Twitter more customizable and productive isn’t there a place for the full gamut of users. Almost everyone has a cell phone, but everyone uses it differently: some use mostly sms, some commune through Twitter, some use it all the time via bluetooth, some use it for work, other to talk to friends, I still tether my laptop and use it for internet connection, and frequency of use varies greatly. I see Twitter as a similar tool and think we’ll see more diversity in types of users, not less.
As annoying as I find many hyper-social accounts, especially on Twitter, I think there is a place for them in world. If your purpose is simply to sincerely connect and share with as many users as possible, a hyper-social, rapid fire style works for some people. Matt’s example of the 500 follower, 60,000 tweet, user seems out of whack unless that user has a rabid 500 person following with lots of commenting and conversation, then 60,000 could be low. What if the user issues up to the minute surf conditions for the entire atlantic of coast Florida? Followers may wish for more content not less. It’s all about the individual account, its followers, and the purpose. Problems arise when what you are saying (or how often you say it) isn’t what your followers signed up for, and when that occurs the message you actually want to get out can drown in the noise you yourself create -or worse, you can drive away followers that actually wanted to hear what you had say. In terms of importance I think consistency almost always outweighs frequency.
In an effort to avoid falling into the trap of being over social myself, I personally find that I need to step back from accounts sometimes and imagine I am a new follower or visitor: “Is the information I want the world to see available?” “Does what I am publicly broadcasting make sense?” “Do I look like someone I would want to follow?” Sometimes it’s as simple as making sure one out of every three of my twitter messages comes back to sharing relevant important information. Sometimes it means really rethinking the frequency and type of messages I share.
All that said, what works for me/what I like is absolutely not the only way to use social media tools like Twitter. As I said before the hyper social Twitter accounts seems to do just fine; there is obviously a place for them. Plus, isn’t there something oddly comforting about knowing there are people out there that will respond to every re-tweet, mention, and comment you make?
Well shit…it appears as though I missed your comment Mandy…my apologies. I agree with you completely, a “social detoxing” is important from time to time. I believe this is true with anything…things in moderation, or things that have balance, are good. Cheers and thank you for the comment!!
James,
You have a lot of points in there, and I do think there are always exceptions to the rule so to speak (RE: your examples of the surf report or tsunami warnings, etc.). Over social in my mind is that tweeter (or any person in real life as well) that is that social butterfly on crack…I mean, did they not get enough love a s a child? Participating in 40 hashtag chats seems unreasonable if you are married with kids…IMO.
Any how, love the conversation and greatly appreciate the comment!!