Social Media Exodus

Being a student of marketing and finance at graduate level, I understand the importance of social media marketing for big brands and small businesses, however there has been an increasing trend of exodus and exile from social media. This does not come as a surprise as people are facing the problem of information overload with posts and tweets coming in every minute.

Don’t get me wrong - Facebook and Twitter are wonderful tools for both businesses and individuals but it’s the exploitation of these services with spam that makes them irritating at times. Just like Spam marketing emails burst out during the email era, Facebook is seeing a similar trend. Mails which in those days were meant to be “forwarded” to friends are now pictures and memes which are meant to be shared.

We as individuals are spending too much time on Facebook and other social media platforms than we should. We have become social media zombies and we need our “daily pill” like Sara Goldfarb from Requiem For a Dream or else we feel disconnected. It’s the same for marketers using Facebook as a tool. There is too much clutter. Also, how many of engaged prospects actually turn into customers is the real question. I am sure many of them do - but is the time spent worth it?


Seth Godin has mentioned in his book “Purple Cow” that no one cares if they happen to see a cow while driving down the countryside because cows are common and everyone has seen them, but they do care if the cow is purple - something which they have never seen before. This is actually the difference between good marketers and bad ones. If all cows became purple - it’s not the “thing” anymore.

My point is that excess of anything is bad. Facebook and Twitter are markets for your brand to engage with customers but it makes no sense to hire someone to maintain a social profile subsequent to which only 3% of prospects turn into real customers. Most of my friends do post frequently but don’t fail to mention when asked that they are only on Facebook because they want to stay in touch with their friends and they are already bored with it. Many have joined the exodus and left social networking altogether but some return back as they feel “disconnected”.

In my view we should restrict the times we spend on social media. Even if we are marketing a product. No one wants spam. I don’t want be a social media zombie who opens Facebook and Twitter sharp at 6 PM and starts to suck in information. With so many brands bombarding brand grenades and loyalty coupon artillery, the experience becomes similar to turning on the TV only to watch ads. Individuals should restrict their usage also because it’s one of the major reasons for loss in productivity. Try and study with the internet off - you’ll be more focused. Most enterprises block access to Facebook for the very reason. After all, the most important thing for a working individual is their job and for a student is college.

May be we don’t need to say - Fuck it and delete all accounts. We can be more productive if we tell ourselves - No more than 10 minutes a day only to stay in touch with friends.
Social media exodus continues as I write this. Google “Delete Facebook account" and see the number of hits you get.

->Suryanshu Vasishta is a passionate Writer and an avid blogger. Stay tuned for more discussions with him about Technology on Tecknobite.in