Social Media is Bullshit Book Summary - Social Media is Bullshit Book explained in key points

Social Media is Bullshit summary

Name: Social Media is Bullshit
Rating: 3.4 (25 reviews)
Author: B.J. Mendelson

B.J. Mendelson

Why social media is overhyped.

3.4 (25 ratings)

18 mins

Topics

Social Media Marketing Alternative Perspectives

Table of Contents

Social Media is Bullshit
Summary of 11 key ideas

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Key idea 1 of 11

What’s in it for me? Learn not to get fooled by the hype around social media.

Social media has become ubiquitous in recent years. Be it a “find us on Facebook and Twitter” button on every product or commercial, or its role in major social upheaval like the Arab Spring, social media often finds its way into the news.

Not only that, but there is a growing number of products and people who aim to offer you or your business the secrets to unlocking the power of social media. Furthermore, they’ll tell you that social media is indispensable, and that without it you’re simply missing out on potential profits.

So you probably have been intrigued enough to try your luck and get in on social media platforms to promote yourself, your product or your business. All those books by so-called experts told you to do it, so it is important to do, right? WRONG!

In these blinks, you’ll learn:

why you do not need to have an active social media account for your business
why total accidents can lead to huge record deals
how marketers breathed life back into their businesses just by inventing new words
and finally, how marketers invent their expertise out of thin air just to sell you some bullshit.

The social media revolution in society and business is a myth.

In recent years, social media has been hailed as revolutionary and as a marketing tool that no entrepreneur or business can neglect if they want to be successful. But are these assumptions about social media really true?

Let’s start with the fact that most social media outlets are actually owned by corporations. Sure, it’s true that there was a time where we more or less had an equal voice on the web, and you could use your blog, for example, to independently gain access to an audience and be heard. But today the majority of the most popular blogs are owned by media conglomerates like Google, Time Warner or AOL.

In fact, most sites with user-created content are actually exploiting their users: people create content for free for sites like the Huffington Post, which the big corporations then turn to profit through advertising.

Furthermore, there’s nothing too new or revolutionary about social media. In fact, most of these “new” sites are simply reiterations of older ideas: before Twitter, there was AOL Instant Messenger; before Facebook, there was Classmates.com; and even Google has been around since 1999.

And they’re no more “revolutionary” than they are new. There is no real difference in the way we interacted with media before the advent of social media and what we do now: we tweet about what’s happening on TV, not the other way around.

Moreover, all the hype around social media sounds a lot like a pitch for a get-rich-quick scheme: just use social media and soon you’ll be a millionaire, too!

Social media is not a revolutionary marketing tool, but a handful of success stories where someone like Justin Bieber was lucky enough to get rich after becoming a YouTube sensation make it easier for Marketers to sell us the “secrets” of making money on social media, and for Analysts to sell their advice to businesses.

Social media platforms do not create overnight miracles.

Surely you’ve heard of so-called “social media success stories,” where Justin Biebers are discovered and then land a record deal. But how realistic is this?

It’s still really difficult to reach a big audience even if you use social media. In fact, without a budget, insiders, or networks, it’s almost impossible.

Social media platforms do not necessarily benefit businesses.

If you’re an artist, entrepreneur or want to promote yourself for other reasons, then you have probably noticed all the buzz around marketing on social media. So should you get in on it too? In short: probably not.

First, when you engage with people on the web, then you aren’t engaging with everybody.

Books by marketing gurus are not applicable to your own projects.

Have you ever flipped through a book on marketing and noticed that all the examples were corporate success stories, or techniques from well-established brands? That’s no coincidence.

The primary clients for marketers who get paid for advice on how to promote a company or market a product are big corporations.

Marketers benefit from the myth of social media – a myth they create and actively perpetuate.

Surely you’ve seen or read about so-called “experts” on social media. They are bloggers, authors and consultants who promote various social media platforms and strategies, AKA marketers. But why exactly do they promote social media so vigorously?

By claiming that social media is an indispensable marketing tool for all businesses, marketers can then sell their “expertise” to a broader range of clients.

Marketers spread false information and establish their expertise for their own profit.

Wonder how self-declared social media “experts” end up being interviewed, get invited to give speeches, asked to do consultations, and so on? In fact, there is a whole system that experts exploit to make money from myths like social media.

For starters, marketers establish their “expertise” in areas that they themselves insist are important.

The platforms themselves also benefit from and contribute to the social media myth.

Have you ever “liked” a company on Facebook? Probably, but did you ever buy their products because they were well represented on Facebook? Probably not. So why on earth do companies think social media is a good way to sell their products?

To answer this question, we should learn a bit about these platforms.

There is an economy behind spreading web-related myths.

Have you ever had the feeling that, whenever there is a new fad, it’s all you hear about? That businesses, books, and media all jump onto the bandwagon? Well, you may be right: there’s an entire system used to spread web-related trends.

The myth circle often begins with some new online platforms that are being hyped by the media and self-proclaimed cyber fans and experts. Let’s look at Twitter as an example.

The old marketing tools still apply today.

Despite what social media experts say, marketing functions the same way it always has, and the same tried-and-true marketing tools still apply.

If you look behind all the social media buzz, good business still boils down to these basic principles.

Social media will not make or break your business.

Even though marketers and media want to convince you otherwise, your success does not depend upon whether you are active on social media platforms. While social media might not hurt you, you should also remember the following.

Most businesses don’t actually need a web presence other than their homepage. For many businesses, it’s better to show the customer that you care by being available in person – or at least over email – rather than having them interact with your company through a social media account.

Final Summary

The key message in this book:

In spite of what the gurus say, while marketing on social media platforms might not hurt your business, avoiding them won’t hurt you either. The traditional marketing methods, like developing a network of real people and being frugal, work fine for most businesses.

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What is Social Media is Bullshit about?

Social Media Is Bullshit puts a damper on the hype around social media by unveiling the economy behind it and addressing the commonly held misconceptions about the value of social networks for business. While social media can be a valuable asset for certain companies, it is not the cure-all that marketers and social media gurus would have you believe!

Best quote from Social Media is Bullshit

—B.J. Mendelson

Who should read Social Media is Bullshit?

Anyone who is considering promoting themselves or their business on social media
Anyone who believes that social media has somehow revolutionized marketing
Anyone wondering why their social media strategy isn’t working

About the Author

B.J. Mendelson is an author, comedian, and advocate for breast cancer awareness. He has also contributed to CNN, Forbes and the Huffington Post.

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