Sociology of Social Media

Today, I have 809 followers. But does that really mean something? For all I know most could be spam bots and keyword hounds, but who’s counting, aside from Twitter. This post isn’t about me; it’s about our natural habits to follow those with glory and “spotlight.” Once again, we show our weakness as a society to care more about those in the limelight than those really making things happen. So, with that said, who really does matter?

“Thought Leaders”

Who is a thought leader? What makes them one? Do they have to be a CEO, Principal, President or some high standing figure, right? Or to be a thought leader you must be someone of high stature, make tons of money, be a Harvard grad, know someone, or a combination of those mentioned and other things not attributed in this post? Are they a thought leader because they get book deals and have hundreds upon thousands of followers? It is all a big pile of nonsense.

“Thought Leaders” should be more like Brian Solis. In my honest opinion I believe he is a thought leader in the communications industry.

• Regularly postsing about “new media,” “social media,” PR, communications on his blog.
• All compelling pieces; studies and things of that nature.
• He is the author of multiple books.
• Does incredible work speaking with people.

He works. He writes. He is pushing the industry forward. Kudos, Brian.

Leaders

105+ million users power Twitter. Facebook, 500 Million. Who really pushes those platforms? The users of course, but a certain group I call Leaders. A few names come to mind immediately: David Spinks, Lauren Fernandez, Sydney Owen, Ted Rubin, Andrew Norcross, Jenny Blake, Nate Erickson, Samantha Ogborn, Denis Crowley. Why? I’ll tell you:

• Built a strong community of friends and “followers” from the ground up.
• They have always interacted through the mediums with EVERYONE.
• Write thought-provoking pieces.
• Push the envelope in a multitude of areas.
• They aren’t just social media whores!

The Rest of Us

We are the though leaders, too. We’ve innovated through these social mediums to use them outside of their intended purposes:

• Twitter chats.
• Social reforms through Facebook.
• Growing our network.
• Connecting others.

Things become “trending topics” because we make them. On the same token, we make these “though leaders” who we decide. We should re-evaluate who the thought leaders really are and thank those in our community for presenting valuable information instead of automated links upon links and affiliated content.

More on why I think those listed are awesome here.