Keeping up with the social media Joneses

Even churches are going social

To be of a generation that has had a personal computer as a fixture in life and not be on social media is now regarded as either backwards or rebellious, depending on who you talk to.

Malcolm Gladwell, always a provocative writer, famously said last year that social media's role in uprisings such as Moldova's and Iran's was not as significant as people thought it was. "Some of this grandiosity is to be expected," Gladwell wrote in the New Yorker. "Innovators tend to be solipsists. They often want to cram every stray fact and experience into their new model."

The response was predictably scathing. Gladwell was contemptuous of social media because he's not on it. You know, like your ancient auntie who still has to figure out texting. 

Edison Research says 52 per cent of Americans 12-year-old and above have a profile on one or more social networks. That means there are 48 per cent who either choose not to be on social media or are blissfully unaware that there's such a thing as Twitter. Arguably it must be choice: The Edison Research study also says that 92 per cent of Americans know what Twitter is, yet only eight per cent use the microblogging service.

The 48 per cent feel the pressure. make no mistake about it. One of my most in-demand services is giving a discreet one-hour boot camp where senior executives learn the absolute minimum, just enough that they're not identified as Luddites at corporate or social gatherings. Think of it as the social media equivalent of a spray-on tan.

If you are one of those opposed to social media, have a think whether it closes you off to opportunity more than it preserves whatever you're protecting. Saying you don't want to know what people are having for lunch is fine except for one small detail: You are the ultimate decision-maker on how much you interact and who you interact with. 

Among the token people inundating the world with photos of their appetisers are legitimate employers, business partners and potential clients who may be on a quest for someone like you. In that case a LinkedIn profile, no matter how cryptic, will help in a web search. 

These days I also advise establishing accounts, no matter how fallow they'll lie, for security reasons. It takes just one disgruntled employee or enraged ex-partner to establish your presence online in the most unflattering way.

And if there is no reason whatsoever apart from the above? The earth will continue spinning on its axis with or without Facebook. 

If anyone pointedly asks, just smile serenely and say, "I prefer being social in the traditional sense. I hear it's a dying art." Then ask questions about how social media shapes their normal day. Just because you're not on it doesn't mean you can't talk about it.

Get on social media only if it represents true value to you.