Social Media Selling Out And Do We Care?

Once again I am sitting here in the coffee shop doing the whole job search thing which consists of 50 percent job search, 50 percent checking social media, 50 percent drinking coffee.  Today is no different and once again I have seen something on the web that gave birth to a thought which is not giving birth to this blog.

The thing that I saw was a tweet saying that Google+ is laying the ground work for company Google+ pages. Now, I know this is what we have come to expect from social media, but is it what we want?

Think back to the original days of Facebook, when it was just pure networking uninterrupted with 7 different news feeds, Farmville, and advertisements. It was a simpler time when you could post at your leisure and not worry about your every move on the internet being observed by someone somewhere… in short; it was a safe place to network with friends and contacts. 

This safety however is long since gone and now you have to watch your every step and for good reason. Studies show that employers are using social media to research and screen employees, citizens are using it to study up on politics, and businesses are abusing it to find customers. These, as I understand are not what social networking sites were created for… in fact, I believe social networking sites such as Facebook were created for college students to get connected, socialize, network with one another, and share information. 

Now, in no way am I upset about the way things have gone, and am definitely not blaming the companies who use this ultimate resource to their advantage, I am just commenting on the progression that these seemingly harmless “social” companies are becoming more and more focused on allowing advertisers to reach the public instead of allowing the public to reach on another. 

The most applicable thing that I can compare it to in my mind is a rock band that started out blasting original sounds to a few faithful fans in their garage folding under the pressure of society to make music that is “popular” and not true to the bands self… but in a society where we often have to choose between what we are and a boat load of cash who can blame them.

photo via thebsreport.wordpress.com