ITS THE INTERNET!

I know I've been on my soapbox about this...but it is seriously mind-blowing that digital agencies can call themselves as such when they apparently have no idea whats going on with the internet. Sure, they know about "those blog" things and Facebook, and they know they have to track "the conversation" in social media (but ask someone what that means and I'll bet you get a blank stare). And while these agencies are awake to the idea that they need to embrace social media, and put services and products against it...the major flaw in that thinking is treating social media as something that is merely a part of the internet...IT IS THE INTERNET. Social technologies have re-shaped what the internet is and means. The web is moving through iterations of connectivity and usefulness just has it has done previously.

Remember "Web 2.0?" that annoying epithet that Tim O'Reilly stole and coined for himself? Annoying (and so 2006) as the term might be, it does a much better job of summing up the current state of affairs than "social media." I think "social media" was a term that marketing adopted (over "Web 2.0") because "social media" is an idea they can (sort of) wrap their heads around-- but a different kind of webosphere? Too scary, to transformative-- to much work to adjust and adapt to the new web paradigm.

Ok, I may be a bit hyperbolic today (and granted, I realize there can be many deliberations and disputes over the differences between "Web 2.0" and "social media" but the terms have been used so interchangably, and for this argument I'm simply pointing out that for lexical, and therefore psychological, reasons the digital marketing industry adopted "social media" over the much bigger concept of a whole new web-- "Web 2.0") BUT digital marketing agencies are in a critical state if they continue to fail to understand what is happening with the internets.

Now, my head is about to explode so I'll simply leave you with this: :)