Social Media and the Cult of Narcissus: Part 1

Do you really care what I'm doing while I'm on the train? Do i care what you are eating for your lunch?

The dissemination of information is instantaneous, forever and accessible from anywhere. Social networking has changed the way we gather data, if it can be classed as gather. We are served data based on our online movements which is monitored, measured and analysed without you knowing, to be used by marketeers....me being one of them.

Amongst all this personal data are the ramblings, blogs, tweets and updates about ever aspect of your daily life.

It is now the norm to have an 'Update' or 'What are you doing' when you login. We are instantaneously pressured to find something witty, irreverent but in most cases down right dull to inform the world.

So why do we do it?

Is it because we are inherently narcissistic? Is Social networking a self gratifying activity?

Social Vampirism

How much is now original content online? and new form of vampirism has emerged...the Social Vampire, virtually feeding from the thinkers, the inspirators and creatives.

Their teeth replaced by the reTweet or Digg this button.

For the creatives this is nothing but good...this act simply distributes their message quickly and efficiently, but this is to easy an exercise, diluting the message. Creating a social game of Chinese whispers where the blood gets so thin that its the equivalent of cranberry juice.

Now i can't deny that i have occasionally sucked at the teat of social virgin, to suck their life blood and infect the social universe....but I'm what you might call a Familiar...i play both sides.

Feel free to forward this blog, reTweet it, Digg it, etc....