Social media is a blackhole. Literally. It eats planets.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009 at 11:03AM A wonderfully delicious blackhole.
Yelp, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Flickr, Friendfeed, the list grows daily. These networks were created to make life easier, and for the most part they do. But sometimes I can't help but feel guilty if I haven't been active for a day or two. Which led me to the question: What do I feel guilty about?
First, I feel guilty because I pride myself on understanding the technology and services that power the web. In the past this meant knowing what HTML, CSS, and MySQL were and knowing how to get someone to stop poking you on Facebook. Now things are different. To simply stay in the loop on technology a person needs to dedicate time and resources to being in the know. As a consultant on digital media matters, I need to be on the bleeding edge of technology or I am far less effective and my work is drastically less relevant. To accomplish this, I read 5-6 tech blogs a day (links below). This helps me understand what is going on in the market and ensures (hopefully!) that I won't miss any curve jumping technology launches. But it is hard.
Second, my friends live and work in the digital space. This might sound silly, but the better jobs we all get the more important it seems to know what is going on. Maybe this is the inner athlete/video game hustler in me, but that moment when my boy says "Oh did you read that article about _____(insert company with no vowels that creates iPhone apps)", really feels like a measuring stick of knowledge and awesomeness. And no one wants to appear less awesome.
Lastly, it is fun to be in the know. I know you are thinking, "But how can it be fun if it is also a blackhole?" To you I say, "shush ye olde crusader of logic I cast you out!". You see, it is fun to watch technology develop. It is fun to see how much easier it makes people's lives. Mostly, it is exciting to be an early adopter of only thangs and watch them blossom into products that hit critical mass. It makes you feel good.
And who doesn't want to feel good? :)
(List of tech blogs I use -- I told you I would give it to you!)
Social media, blogs, friends, tech blogs in social media