Social Media really bugs me.  Let me tell you why.

When we talk about social media (or at least when people who know social media talk about social media), typically we are talking about more than what is “social” and about a lot more than “media.”   In its most literal translation, “social media” are the platforms that we use to interact, create and collaborate with other people in our virtual communities.  Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Chatter and all the other usual suspects are examples of social media, as are a lot of the platforms that have a more singular purpose, i.e. review features on Amazon and Yelp.  All examples of media of a decidedly social flavor.

However, in the professional world of social media, we think of these things as functional, elemental enablers of a much broader social, cultural and economic system change.  In other words, they are the pebbles that creates the ripples, but we are equally concerned about the ripple:  it’s wavelength, range, impact.

So, that said…maybe we need a new way to talk about social media.  One that expresses the functionalities as much as it does the outcomes.  There’s a lot of talk about “the social enterprise,” which I like.  But, it’s limiting.  It’s a good descriptor for things related to business change, but falls short of talking about how social technologies are transforming spaces beyond the boardroom walls.    I’ve also heard “the social revolution” being thrown around, but that seems unoriginal and ambiguous.

I’m not going to offer any suggestions here…mostly because I haven’t come up with one that I like.  I simply want to point out that the transformative power of social media seems to need something powerfully descriptive.  We simply haven’t formed the language or syntax for about how best to talk about it.