Social Insecurity

I recently read the fantastic book Born to Run by author Christopher McDougall about the amazing Tarahumara runners from a remote part of Mexico who run hundreds of miles in bare feet. It was a great read, and in addition to eating chia seeds by the tablespoon now, I bought a pair of Nike Free sneakers to get back in shape.

But that’s not what this post is really about. Reading the book, I loved a quote attributed to social philosopher Eric Hoffer who said “Every great cause begins as a movement, becomes a business, and eventually degenerates into a racket.” It got me thinking about social media marketing today. And as I pack my bag and head out for the South by Southwest Interactive show (barefoot running sneaks in tow), I’m wondering whether this year’s event will make me feel that social media is a movement, a business or just a racket.

No matter what I ultimately conclude from my experience, I can guarantee that this SXSW will be a hotbed of insecurity. When you throw a bunch of people together in one location that have basically only known each other virtually through tweets, posts, videos, comments and check-ins, it’s bound to be awkward. Why else would South By have a session titled “How to not be a Douchebag at SXSW’”? Clearly, attendees are eager to network with old connections and build up new ones, and it does require you to come out of your shell.

Beyond this interpersonal insecurity brought out by the show, there’s the insecurity of being a social media practitioner today. What other field of work can engender so much unease as social media marketing? (Certainly brain surgeons aren’t questioning themselves as much as we do. Or at least I hope they’re not!)

Old school, big ad agencies are wondering if they’re going to be usurped by smaller, more nimble interactive/digital agencies. Traditional PR practitioners (like Charlie Sheen’s publicist) are wondering if social tools are going to put them out of a job. Clients are asking who needs to take responsibility for social media within their organizations – customer service, brand marketing, online, advertising, PR, sales – all, one, a mix of several departments?

So, while we all have some knowledge of the social scene, and name drop (and retweet) to prove our bona fides, social is so all-encompassing, and ever-changing, that total knowledge of the space seems forever out of reach.

Like any other movement, social media marketing has its crusaders. Last year I was underwhelmed by Chris Brogan, Julien Smith and Peter Shankman. They made me feel that social really was becoming a racket in which self-help gurus teach corporate America to act human. Their very authenticity felt disingenuous to me. So, this year I’m avoiding any sessions where self-created Vaynerchuks espouse the virtues of letting it all hang out. This year, I’m focusing on the technologies powering social and how brands are adapting social into how they market.

Admitting that you don’t know everything is the essence to preparing yourself to learn (social media marketing or brain surgery). The risk in admitting this is that it reveals your own insecurities. But, I really enjoy this quote from Hoffer: “In a world of change, the learners shall inherit the earth, while the learned shall find themselves perfectly suited for a world that no longer exists.” As the Tarahumara already know, if you don’t keep running, you die.

Stay tuned for my notes from the show.