Social media is on the tips of everyone’s tongues nowadays. It’s a testament to how far it has come in the public consciousness that to point out even a small flaw in social media is to take a bold contrarian opinion. Count Arianna Huffington in that camp. The Huffington Post might be social savvy, but that doesn’t mean Huffington isn’t aware of social’s pitfalls. Huffington also admonishes the broader media landscape as an industry that worships social media, and in the process has created a vacuum that we fill with information only we care about.
Fetishizing “social” has become a major distraction, and we’re clearly a country that loves to be distracted. Our job in the media is to use all the social tools at our disposal to tell the stories that matter — as well as the stories that entertain — and to keep reminding ourselves that the tools are not the story. When we become too obsessed with our closed, circular Twitter or Facebook ecosystem, we can easily forget that poverty is on the rise, or that downward mobility is trending upward, or that over 5 million people have been without a job for half a year or more, or that millions of homeowners are still underwater. And just as easily, we can ignore all the great instances of compassion, ingenuity, and innovation that are changing lives and communities.
Read the rest of the article at The Huffington Post. You can follow Arianna on Twitter.
More in Media
The case for and against publishers buying paid traffic
For many audience development teams, the question is no longer whether to buy traffic, but how far they can push it.
Why retailers like Target and Aerie are moving beyond straight affiliate deals with creators
Creator programs are changing as retailers like Target and Aerie realize they require a multifaceted approach that doesn’t just rely on affiliate links.
Rising gas prices may push more household spending toward Amazon
The spike has squeezed household budgets and changed how people shop. Consumers are pulling back on discretionary spending and foot traffic is in decline.