Social Media Fame, and why I hate the people chasing it

The more I write about social media, the more I come to realize most of the appeal is in being a rock star.

See, I meet a lot of people in this industry – if you can honestly call it that – who’s main ambition is to be “famous.” I met one woman this week who said she wanted to be, “the face of social media” for her company. I’ve heard other people moan with despair when the news talks of some YouTube video getting millions of views – because theirs didn’t get millions of views.

I think our appetite for fame is what drives too many of us to jump into social media. It brings with it the promise that anyone can become something of a star, just by sharing. And of course we all think we are individually so entertaining, funny, witty… special that of course if we get a Flip Video camera and shoot some of our musings, we’ll eventually end up on TV, exchanging witty barbs with Dave or Jay.

If anything threatens to kill social media, it’s our own need for attention and approval. Wanting to be famous for one’s music or writing or comedy or photography makes sense to me. But being famous for the sake of being famous smacks of low self esteem.

If you come to social media, you need something to say. If you’re only blogging or tweeting or whatevering on Facebook to become “known,” good luck with that. It’s a bumper crop for attention whores these days. Look at iJustine. Or that “leave Brittney alone!” guy. Whole lotta fame there, if that’s what you really want.