| Social media according to Keller and Fay |
While reading Chapter 5 of The Face-to-Face Book, I found myself getting frustrated…again.
Authors Ed Keller and Brad Fay consistently bash any form of media that isn’t
word-of-mouth (WOM), but specifically forms of social media advertising. In the
last year or so (especially after picking up my social media minor), I have
grown defensive over the topic. In a way it’s like a child. Parents want to
defend their children if another person is belittling or bullying them. Well,
that’s how I feel about social media. Weird, right? I guess it’s because of the
amount of time I’ve spent researching social media best practices and how
beneficial it can be in a business setting. Anyways, Keller and Fay do not hold
back when they have a chance to degrade social media practices or just the
industry itself.
Take this case for example:
On page
124, they bring up a point about what forms of media get people talking and
interacting with each other. The list includes mediums like: the Wall Street
Journal, Southern Living, Vogue and the WashingtonPost.com. The description of
the table says: “Average number of people—friends, relatives, acquaintances—one
communicates with “fairly often.” Top 10 of 113 media audiences shown,”
(p.124).
| They're both fruit, but taste completely different! |
In my opinion, the Wall Street Journal, Vogue and similar
publications are designed to push content and start conversations about
specific topics. They’re not really promoting two-way communication with their
target audiences. However, social media does. They make the statement, “In face
Facebook and Twitter never ranked close to the top-ten audiences for social and
influence-related criteria. The lesson: All media can be social, including
those related to print and online publishing,” (p. 124). Personally, I don’t
think the mediums on the list can even be compared to Facebook, Twitter and
other social networks. They’re not the same! Social media provides a platform
for users to communicate and share ideas with each other. You’re not seeing
these mediums publishing articles about the Civil Rights Act or having a
“letter to the editor” section. Yes, magazines, newspapers, etc. inform people
of the most up-to-date news, but they’re not the same, need I say species, as
social media and networks. I feel as if Keller and Fay are trying to compare
cats and dogs. Yes, they’re both considered animals, but their internal and
external structures and functions are completely different.
A second point that frustrated me is on page 127 of the
book. There, Keller and Fay compare how many unique visitors CBS reaches
compared to Facebook. In 2010, CBS reached 240 unique visitors per month while
Facebook only reached 151. Another fact stated, “While the total time Americans
collectively spent using Facebook each month was 42 billion minutes, time spent
with CBS was five times greater: 210 billion minutes,” (p. 127).
OK, to begin, counting all of these “unique” visitors is
like counting how many people viewed a blog. Cool, people flipped to your
channel for a bit, big deal. What did they actually do to help ratings? Did
they get hooked on the show; did they somehow create buzz or two-way
communication? Probably not. So I don’t put a ton of faith into the numbers
they presented.
Secondly, I get on Facebook to actually look at content.
Sometimes I flip on the TV to have background noise while I do homework or
cook. Therefore, I am not paying attention like I am when I go onto Facebook.
And lastly, I’m wondering if these “unique” visitors are
engaged viewers, or if that number includes infants. Let’s be serious, a
toddler is not going to have a Facebook account and surf their newsfeed.
However, they can sit with their parents at night and watch CBS while playing
with their toys.
Although I do not agree with Keller and Fay’s attitude
towards social media and social networks, I am happy to read this book. It gives
me a view from a different point-of-view. It’s preparing me for graduating and working
with co-workers who don’t necessarily know or value the use of social media. So
in conclusion, there are two sides of every story, this book proves that fact.
Until next time, stay classy my fellow bloggers.
Candace
As I was saying before, there are two sides to every story. So below are two videos: one describing the benefits of social media and one explaining the challenges of online and social media advertising and standards. Check them out!
The video would not upload to the post, so the link is above!
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