Is Social Media Still a Force For Good In The World?

Social Media is About Much More Than Just Marketing

Social media has become a huge part of our everyday lives. It’s a source of entertainment, a way to catch up on the news, and a tool to connect with others.
While there have been great things about it, social media’s dark side is hard to ignore. Founder and Managing Partner of 18 Coffees, Caleb Gardner has seen it all during his long career in social media. He’s seen social help to create real change in the world but also witnessed the “darkest corners of the internet.”
What does that mean for social media today? Can it still be a force for good? And how can we as social professionals ensure we’re bringing positivity to the discussion?
Caleb explains his thoughts on social’s role in our lives and questions the responsibility social platforms have over their content. He talks about the importance of being curious, trying out new things, and treating people with respect.

In This Episode:

• 6:12 – How social media is about more than just marketing
• 9:12 – How social media can be a force for good and bad
• 13:31 – Should social platforms take responsibility for the wider influence of their content?
• 17:30 – Why social media platforms rely so much on engagement as a business model
• 19:01 – Why social platforms shouldn’t assume they’ll be the top choice forever
• 21:41 – Caleb discusses some of the new social media platforms bringing in competition
• 23:30 – Why many social tips are the same as they were ten years ago
• 25:30 – How the 70/20/10 model works when trying out new content
• 26:40 – The two types of social media metrics to watch out for
• 30:14 – Caleb’s take on where social media fits into the government’s and business’ drive for engagement
• 33:59 – How noisy social media has become
• 36:15 – How businesses can avoid the yearly social media account cull
• 39:01 – The pros and cons of paid vs. organic social
• 42:33 – The story behind the name 18 Coffees
• 44:22 – Caleb’s number one tip for social pros

Quotes From This Episode:

We saw the darkest corners of the internet using these tools to connect with each other and reinforce bad behavior. Click To Tweet
“There’s so much less visibility in what you can do on paid social.”
“The best social pros that I know are very curious and just want to learn about new things as they come up… How can you be successful unless you stay naturally curious?”

Resources:

• Get the new State of Marketing report for free from Salesforce
• Find out more about the community at SocialMedia.org with a special form for Social Pros listeners
• Find out if your website is ADA & WCAG compliant with help from aCe
• Get $30 off of your Tailwind Subscription!
• Caleb Gardner’s website
• 18 Coffees’ website