In a recent Mashable post, Soren Gordhamer discusses “3 Pressing Questions Facing the Future of Social Media.”
Face it, social media is here to stay. The question is how to effectively use social media instead of being used by it. I know I easily get overwhelmed. I tend to ignore updates for periods of time. But then I wonder: am I missing something important?
Which brings us to the three questions.
The Distraction Question: How do we live continually connected without being continually distracted? With those little reminders of new tweets, e-mails and Facebook postings, how do we stay focused on what is important? As Gordhamer states: “Social media that finds the right balance of when and how to update us, and which gives us control over such notifications, will win in the long run.”
The Filter Question: How do we filter the stream to get what is most essential? Gordhamer thinks that the question is not if filtering is needed, but rather how that filtering happens and the level of choice and transparency in the process.
The Capacity Question: How much social media can I actually consume? As I said, I tend to ignore social media for periods of time. Others, I know, find that impossible. I agree with Gordhamer that “efforts that build limits into the system will likely emerge to support people in search of this balance.”
Gordhamer ends on the “happy” note that the volume will only increase. “And people have a need to not only receive a constant flow of information but also to get quality information in ways that add benefit to their lives. The social networks and web companies that remember this will stand the best chance of success in the future.”
Probably in the time you’ve spent reading this, you’ve received dozens-if not hundreds-of tweets and other updates. Thanks for staying here.
