This week I worked the budding "Social Media" angle of a highly-attended conference for pastors in Southern Orange County. And in the midst of my scurried frenzy to simultaneously post sound-bites from the sessions to Twitter and Facebook, get mini-video interviews with attendees for the web, write a blog post, perform some customer service duties with people engaging on Twitter, (you tired yet, cuz I am) and attempt to eat my breakfast between keystrokes - I fell upon some interesting observations. ㉿ęᄔÿf☼яתּエ@ and I walk the social media beat.
During the first day of the conference we doubled our Twitter following by more than 200% and overall more than tripled it by the end of the 4-day event. People were responding to my posts, to my personal responses to their posts, to my responses to their responses - I mean we were all becoming one big happy Twi-family.
Then I made the colossal miscalculation of asking my Twitter following (or crew) to meet me in person at the conference, during the breaks between sessions.
Although I myself made some great connections from the experience (five pastors from Italy, two from Tennessee (all new & fast friends)). Over the four days of the conference, we were visited by, I think, 8 people out of the roughly 1,700 in attendance - more than 600 of which were following us all day on Twitter, plus the 1,110 on Facebook.
Now I know that some of our followers were online and not even physically present at the conference (as per one of my favorite twit pics from a fellow who posted a shot of his laptop in his lap, live-streaming the conference, in the background his feet clad in only socks). However, I also know people saw the posts, as the only time someone did actually make their way over, it was when I promised some Swag on their arrival.
Which led to my apostrophe, "lightning just struck my brain," (epiphany, for those who didn't get the Hook reference). That although I feel that Social Media is merely a conduit to begin social interactions - ones that should eventually (if possible) be engaged as well, in real time and space - there are many out there who see it as the replacement for such social encounters.
I see Twitter amplifying the anti-social tendencies of some, while allowing them to feel actually more socially healthy because they are conversing over the web. Of course, these people completely discount the fact that they have near absolute control over when they engage, disengage, respond or pay notice to anyone - the same behavior would not fly in a different setting.
Could you imagine if our real-time/space conversations were carried on in a similar manner - I just stand there for 20 minutes before responding to a request because I first wanted to answer an email from my boss, and check movie times for when I go out tonight? Yeah right, uh, I think halfway through that wait, the other person in your conversation would have left the room, if they have any dignity, or their own life.
Yet, people everywhere on Twitter are using this social media thing as a substitution for dealing with people in the here and now, right in front of their faces. I have friends who have virtually cut off all friendships, but are confident that they are socially healthy because of their number of Facebook friends. No joke. As my old editor Carol Chambers says: "You can't make this stuff up."
So I guess if you read this, I'd love to hear your take on the whole thing - what do you think about Media Socializing substituting our real-life relationships?
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Posted via email from Kellyfornia on the state of... well, things.
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