Social Media: A Rich Person’s Game?
Have you ever watched Ken Burns’ The West? There’s a story in there about a fellow named William Swain. William was a teacher and a peach farmer, and as the historians say, he had what would have been considered a very comfortable existence. He wasn’t famous or super wealthy, but his life was comfortable and stable. All of that changed, though, when the gold rush started in California. Suddenly you could get rich just by putting your spoon into a river. For William Swain, his comfortable life now seemed substantially more boring and less comfortable. Young men around the country started to dream about what that extra money could get them, and that was in addition to all of the adventure tied to heading all the way over to California. Suddenly good enough was NOT good enough.
To be 100% honest, the world of social media often brings William Swain to mind. Indeed, I rather much empathize with his state of mind. My life is extremely comfortable. I’m not wealthy by any stretch of the imagination. My life is comfortable and stable. But the longer I stick around in the online world, the more feeble my life seems to feel. Factually, many people in the online world seem to be wealthy, or at the very least they post that way. If I didn’t read the news and only got my sense of the world from what I saw on Facebook and Twitter, I’d be apt to think there was no great recession. It seems that people are always eating out at fancy restaurants, going on 2-week vacations, going to conferences, buying additional houses…there is not much talk about money pressure in these parts.
But it’s not the updates that make social media feel increasingly like an exclusive club. It’s the almost palpable sentiment that if you don’t live your life like a wealthy person, you’re probably a coward. Take, for example, one of my particular hot buttons – that whole, “Don’t be afraid to fail” thing. People blog and tweet and Facebook about failure as if there are no consequences. Go tell your boss what your terms are. If you get fired, hey, that’s okay. Go leave work and the online world for 2 months. If things fall apart, hey, who cares. You have a great experience to look back on.
To me, and feel free to argue with me here, this is the perspective of a person who doesn’t have to face a lot of real-world consequences. If you are wealthy, losing your job may be okay. You can float on by for awhile. Maybe a long while. If you want to start your own company, the obstacles before you aren’t as monumental. If a family member suffers a major health crisis, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to cover it. You will face some consequences, but they are of a different nature than someone who doesn’t have a lot of expendable income.
It seems like a lot of people in the online world have a Nike “Just do it” attitude. If you want to change jobs, do it. If you want to move somewhere else, do it. If you want to travel a lot, just do it. There’s a tint to these kinds of statements that almost hinges on bullying. “If you don’t do this you’re giving up on life. You’re a coward.”
Or, possibly, you don’t want to go into brain-numbing debt?
Is Social Media Rigged for the Wealthy?
The more I have thought about this, the more I begin to wonder if the “social media game” is really rigged so that only the wealthy can truly succeed. For example, there’s this overriding thought that in order to start really getting your star to rise, you need to “be seen.” The best way to do this is to go to a lot of social media conferences, right? Let’s take SXSW Interactive in Austin, which sort of gets the social media conference season going. The badge just for the show is $950. That does not include (to the best of my knowledge) any transportation within the city of Austin. I don’t think that includes your hotel stay. It doesn’t include travel. That’s for one conference. Just one.
For someone who is leading a comfortable but not money-filled life, this single expenditure would be a challenge. If getting seen is part of what helps you climb the ranks in the social media world, how can a person who is not wealthy start to make an impact? Can you compete with in-person relationships if most people will never meet you in real life? Maybe, but I would posit that the odds are stacked against you.
So, now it’s your turn. Is social media a rich person’s game?
Image Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/danni_m/536492895/ via Creative Commons
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When you mention the “Don’t be afraid to fail” thing? I agree, there are consequences. Succeeding does not always equate to money in one’s pocket, success can be a good lesson learned. But in small business, you’ve got to be a little daring. In the corporate world I never saw so many “CEO”s (do they really know what that means)?
As far as conferences? I agree. I see no ROI in spending upward of a thousand dollars to go to a party. Although it is fun to see online folks, I have deadlines, business meetings and try to connect when I have a business reason to be somewhere. I contact collaborators or others in the social media sphere through traditional methods. Travel not only costs money, but time – of which I have none to spare.
In the online world, you win no fans by boasting or showing off. People don’t seem to “get” that. I’ve been online for over a decade and am always careful not to act “above” anyone – especially my readers. I consider us all in the same boat.: working to make a living.
@Marsha Collier Great points, Marsha. I think a lot of conferences have the *potential* to offer really good information, but it seems the predominant output from conferences in the online world is, “Here’s my picture with this person,” “Here’s me eating with xyz big name,” etc. It’s about being seen. That might be good exposure- I’m not really sure – but I somehow kind of doubt it.
As for an air of being better, yes, I don’t really understand how people think that can be helpful. If you are presenting yourself as a coach or a consultant, you’d think you’d want to lean more towards presenting yourself as being in just the same boat.
Or am I crazy?
Well I can share that if it was a Rich Persons game I would not be here that often. I make big sacrifices to learn more of what is happening in the world. I have found my ways around it either by finding people to support my efforts of by boot-strapping my trips by working to make it to a conference like SXSW which can be expensive.
Maybe the fact that there are so many negative stories in the press that people need to hear that Just do It message so their lives improve or get better.
I guess I am in rich in the sense I get to know a few people like you Margie that always step up to the plate when I encounter those issues we all run through. Last year when dad got díagnosed with cancer I received lots of messages but only one person offered help and wanted to take action and that was you.
So in a strange way You have the Just Do It attitude while still measuring the cause and effect factor.
It is great that you bring the subject to bring that balance that not everything is perfect in the online world.
But if any way I can improve or enhance your experience please feel free to let me know what I can do!
@RaulColon You’re so sweet. How is your dad doing by the way? I’ve been remiss in asking.
I see your point – technically shows can be accessible to anyone, but if you don’t have the money yourself you have to put yourself in the position of asking to be sponsored or something like that. i guess that holds true for any line of work – it just seems particularly common and overwhelming in the online arena.
Margie…I do have that attitude of if you want to do this do it or if you want to do that do it…however, I know not everybody can, will, or wants to. I don’t think someone is a coward for not doing this and that, I think the coward is the person that complains about their situation/s and blames everyone and everything else for it. So I suppose that goes into my biggest addiction and that is “taking accountability” for your own life.
I have not been to many conferences or seminars…one or two on the national scene, but I don’t care what people think about me going or not going. Can I only succeed if I go? No. Are these conferences a must? No. If I wanted to go I would find a way, but I’d rather spend my money on food, wine, and travel (travel for pleasure not for social media work related stuff). Anyways, I hear what you’re saying…but it’s all perspective. I see it online all the time to, I often wonder how so many people are literally traveling 30 weeks a year…my guess is that they have a little bit of money and that all those trips are a write off.
Who knows! Cheers to ya Margie!
@MatthewLiberty Thanks Matt. Referring back to what I said to Marsha, it seems like a lot of people go to these conferences so that they can not just be seen, but also so that they can be seen with the “right” people. How many people at SXSW try to make sure they pose with Scoble or Kawasaki, for example? You see a lot more of that kind of stuff than tweets about things actually learned. Thus I get the impression that that is why people shell out the big bucks to go to these things.
You really, really, really need to spend more time offline. It’s remarkable how much social media hype you actually believe. Remarkable.
Do yourself a big favor, stop reading social media blogs and books, abandon your facebook and twitter stream and start spending time at your local Chamber of Commerce or business group, get involved with a local non-profit (not just tweeting, but hands-on volunteering alongside “real” people) and you’ll start seeing the difference between fake social media “rich” and successful people running their business in the “real world” and making real money.
Jeez.
@danperezfilms We carried this on in the world of Facebook, so I’ll just say here, thank you for commenting 🙂
Hi Margie…
While I can understand what you are saying about the impression of wealth I think much of it is hype, not reality. Think how easy it is to rent a porsche for a day, take a picture in front of it and say you’re rich. Even if they do have money today, if they’re spending it like water how much will they have next year or in 5 years?
Personally I tend to avoid people who push their own lavish lifestyle online, claiming it takes only a few hours. I have met a variety of people online that claim some success and a comfortable living.
On taking risks – there must be risk to reap a reward. The question is how much of a risk and how certain the outcome. To me that message is more “Don’t let fear run your life.” Thoughtful risk taking is good business.
@NicoleFende I see your point. I suppose it’s a matter of balance and perspective, but to me, it seems like many people write about risk taking in an irresponsible kind of “chuck it all” way. Maybe that’s just the people I read. They get a lot of credit for writing stuff like that because it *is* brave and courageous, but not everyone is in a position to go skydiving, ya know? 🙂
Isn’t this the standard for every “glamorous” business that relies on emulation (be like me, sell like me)? Picture Kim Kardashian walking out of Mr. Chow in Beverly Hills: you can be a way better actress by eating at a much cheaper place and on a more reasonable budget. It’s all a game, and it has always been.
There are believers and then there are zealots. There are optimists and then there are downright gullible people. There is no point in asking if SoMe is rigged. What if it is? People can still be successful by being smart about it.
Isn’t this the standard for every “glamorous” business that relies on emulation (be like me, sell like me)? Picture Kim Kardashian walking out of Mr. Chow in Beverly Hills: you can be a way better actress by eating at a much cheaper place with infinitely better food. It’s all a game, and it has always been.
There are believers and then there are zealots. There are optimists and then there are downright gullible people. There is no point in asking if SoMe is rigged. What if it is? People can still be successful by being smart about it.
@righteousgeek I think you hit the nail on the head. Social Media is seeming more and more to be like Hollywood. Not a lot of substance but a lot of showy stuff. I guess that’s okay, but it’s not necessarily my cup of tea, and I’m not sure how well that will serve businesses in the future.
I can’t say social media is a game for the rich but I can say that people are trying to be rich with social media, especially when it is a hot topic today. This goes for expensive conferences, tools, and yes, all the spam on making quick bucks we receive via DMs. Also like what @Marsha Collier has mentioned, many tend to think that boasting will get them a seat on the social media pedestal.
On another note though, is that social media IS slowly becoming a game for the rich with social media platforms trying to monetize social efforts. Sponsored tweets and Facebook’s promoted posts are good, creeping examples. Eventually there MAY be a day where the ‘success’ of engaging and building relationships online is determined by your marketing budget.
@janwong Good point! I am at a point with Triberr where I can’t join any more tribes because i need more “bones.” There are 2 ways to get more bones. You can try to invite x number of people or you can pay x amount of dollars. I like Triberr but it’s hard for me to rationalize pumping money into these sorts of sites. However, for a person with a lot more expendable income, it would probably be a no-brainer. That’s kind of a bummer!
I feel just the opposite – like social media is the average person’s chance to do something extraordinary without having little capital. Before social media, you might have to travel somewhere to meet hundreds if not thousands of people to get them to hear your message. Now, you just have to travel to your computer – so long as you have something that can give you internet access, you have the chance to reach the masses. 🙂
@Kristi Hines You raise a good point, Kristi. I guess I would come back with two questions. First, if we really want to make this question global, there are people who don’t have access to computers or smart phones, or they don’t have the leisure time to sit in front of a computer to create content. So, accessibility (technically) remains just as hard for them. Also, I would toss out there that access does not necessarily mean you will find success (however you measure that). You can go to a baseball game and meet a lot of people, but will you make an impression on all of them? Probably not.
You know what I mean?
@margieclayman Good points! You’ll never get in touch with everyone, but I think you have more of a chance with social media than before. Even on a personal basis, I am now in contact with people I used to know in elementary school that I probably would never had “seen” again since I moved away from my hometown. Those kinds of relationships are priceless and thankfully, much less expensive than traveling. 🙂
Absolutely not; it’s social and it’s ‘free;’ there is NO barrier to entry.
You might ‘think’ you need to go to these conferences to be the next big thing, but be the next big thing online and then they are asking (and paying) you to come. Look at me; you think I’m going to pay for anything……ha……..ok, don’t look too close but I am the next big thing………….just sayin’…………
It does look like there’s gold in them thar hills, but the reality is 99% of the people in social won’t be able to make a sustainable and livable income on social alone. I have no factual data to come up with the 99%, but I’m no dummy (no comment) and I’m pretty sure I can tell who’s really doing it and who’s not.
@bdorman264 I see your point, Bill. I still think though that people who *are* able to go to conferences (or who want to) have a leg up, at least on the social media ladder of success. Getting seen by the right people in the right places seems to just get more important with every passing month. You make relationships at these things that carry over into the online world in ways that are surprisingly strong. I dunno. Maybe I’m crazeh 🙂
@margieclayman You are not crazeh; I was just trying to find a way not to spend $950 AND airfare.
Yes, it can help and the relationships you can build are invaluable. HOWEVER, because social is social, I do think it gives you the opportunity to do the same online. And from what I can see, most of these people ‘doing it’ are no different than me or you. There is nobody out there I’m going to go Jim Jones on and drink their Kool-Aid….ok, maybe Gini’s but that’s about it………..:).
@margieclayman
I have to agree with you, Margie. I often feel pressured by my peers on social media to attend these conferences, like I will be left behind if I don’t. As someone decided to foot the bill myself to an expensive grad school right after leaving college, I can’t afford to travel across the country several times a year to attend these conferences. I’ve been to a couple smaller ones, but only when I get a lucky free ticket and only have to pay for accommodations (in which case I still sleep in a $20/night hostel instead of springing for a private hotel room.) I don’t think your claim is crazy at all.
I am not saying that I am not succeeding because I haven’t been to these conferences, but it definitely seems like they almost make it a way to “buy” yourself into the game quicker, whereas I’ve had to put in a lot more time and work into developing & maintaining my relationships online because I can’t afford to always make them in person.
@margieclayman You’re right about “Getting seen by the right people …”, but that applies almost everywhere in life and not just social media. I don’t think that it’s a rich person’s game, but like most other aspects of life, they have an unfair advantage over the rest of us. However, nobody said the world was fair. We just have to find other advantages other than bottomless wallets.
You don’t need to be rich to succeed in social media, or anything in life, really. You need to be able to plan, focus, offer value, meet a need, communicate well and build relationships in many places (not just online). Can you spend money to do that? Yes. Do you have to attend a $2000 conference to do it? No. I’m not “rich” but I have been to SXSW (if you present you get a free badge) and I’ve been to SOBCon and while both conferences were fun and interesting, neither brought me business so I didn’t return the next year.
And we must remember that many folks in our twitter stream are marketers. It is their job to sell us on an idea and those conferences. We know that many of those who sell the rich life, are not, in reality, living that life, but the idea of it. Trust me on this. I’ve met and chatted with many of these folks and reality isn’t the same as what we read in the tweet. And, really, they are just giving the public what they want to hear. They want to hear it’s all so easy to send a few tweets and make a lot of money. People don’t buy, “Hey work hard and make some money to pay the rent.” Reality doesn’t sell, so we get garbage that reads like Li(v)es of the Rich and Famous.
@susangiurleo That’s really the bone I’m trying to pick I guess, Susan. Why do we need to pretend to be rich in the world of social media? I know people who have gone into so much debt attending conferences they nearly lost their house. I suppose it’s no different than a person who almost loses their family in order to get the nice house – it’s just such a shame that this mentality is so *visible* in the online world and that people feel they need to really evince that sense that they’re better than everybody else.
Very interesting approach, Margie. I think this Just Do It social media attitude can be any of a number of things:
– People blowing smoke…trying to look confident for their own self-esteem or keeping up/exceeding the Joneses in their own lives
– People putting on a facade because they want to be hired as employees/consultants, and they need to come across as absolute go-getters
– People who are truly risk takers, and they live that attitude daily
– People with a comfortable cushion/backlog to draw upon as they embark on a new endeavor
– People who have been forced into the decision to do something else…and their feed becomes their own pep talk.
– People who go Share/Like crazy because they see a bunch of inspirational quotes and are trying to fill their feed with content that keeps ’em coming back for more.
@dbvickery You’re very probably right. It’s sad that the people who truly live life on the edge for maybe more admirable reasons are marred by the folks who just talk the talk. Such is life, right?