Social Media Is Lexical Deviation

In my last MediaPost Column on “social-media best practices,” Dave Evans challenged me on my growing rejection of the term social media. He then unpacked his argument into a ClickZ column. He said:

At its core, social media both encompasses and provides a set of tools that enable members to share and share in the information around them. It is a precursor, but not a guarantee of community. The social web, a facilitator, enables me to ask you or anyone else in my distributed network about something and facilitates you telling me and anyone else in your distributed network about it.

Dave’s a very smart guy, and I agree with his underlying marketing principles. But I still don’t like the term social media. To me — and in the literal sense — it’s the mechanical infrastructure which MEDIATES relationships and interpersonal communications. It’s the MEANS to an end, and certainly NOT the core issue which so many “social media” references attempt to tackle. The core issues that really matter are precisely relationships, interpersonal communications and community. Social media at its best is a tactic to a higher calling, and too often a lexical deviation.