Is your head officially spinning with all the different social media platforms out there? From Postherous, Tumblr, FriendFeed and so much more. Everyday a new social media platform is launched in a college dorm room or brain think tank around the country. One thing history has taught us is although the initial surge of excitement around a platform can be overwhelming, eventually all falls into place.
I'll admit, prior to MySpace.com I remember HighSchoolClub.com. HSC was my first venture into social media in 2003. HSC had IM, page profiles and search abilities for to find people who attend your school or other high schools across the platform. But with most things HSC faded out of site as my generation entered college and thus the world of Facebook!
Facebook entered (and took over my life) at the beginning of Summer 2005. It was the latest hit (and biggest) to take over colleges across the country. At that time, only those with college .edu email address were able to access the platform. I can vividly remember the anticipation of getting back to the dorm room to see if someone added me as a friend, messaged me or the holy grail ... "poke me!" Oh and do you remember http://www.thefacebook.com/! If you can relate, you are a true Facebook early adapter. lol
The Facebook I knew is no longer. It's one of the most used social media platforms today. Changes are made daily to introduce new users every day. Are you a fan? Not any more you are a "liker!" lol
But the question that still circulates in circles, is "will social media platforms stick around or is this just another fad/phase?" One thing is for sure, social media is NOT to be underestimated. If you think about it forms of social media have existed for a long time. The telephone began the first interaction through a medium other than paper. Fax machines allowed opinionated columnist and others to widely spread a message (and receive feedback). The ability to see a message and respond to it stretches in further back to the courier days. The only difference... today the response time is much much shorter.
I would argue the primary reason social media will last, is that every platform will find its niche audience and will focus on that audience. Case in point, MySpace.com. I have long since deleted my MySpace page after I couldn't the random backgrounds and insanely annoying music. MySpace has successfully found its niche audience, music lovers! I'm glad to see MySpace settling into its role in the social media role. MySpace is a great place to listen to new music from your favorite artists and see a behind-the-scenes look into their world.
So "will social media fade away?" I wouldn't suggest you bet your life on it. Social media will evolve just like everything in our society.
What's next... I have no clue, but like many social media enthusiast, I'll keep my eyes open.
Would you agree?
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