Social Media… Sensory Overload or a Global Communications Revolution? [VIDEO]

by Cynthia K Seymour on September 24, 2011

Today, I came across one of the posts from Rupesh Nandy, a rather prolific G+ content curator. While most of his posts are interesting, a particular video was thought provoking and made me laugh at the same time. The YouTube video is a mashup of just how much Social Media has revolutionized Global Communications as we know it. Here is the Video “R.E.M.ix: It’s the End of TV as We Know it” and my commentary below:

Turn back the clock about 30 or 40 years: In the 70′s, TV in the US was limited to 4 primary Broadcasters: ABC, CBS, NBC and PBS and most TV’s were black and white. I remember what a treat it was to get to stay up late to watch Chastity on Sonny & Cher. Most shows were family friendly and the most racy ad was the turtle-neck clad “Cross Your Heart Bra” model with the measuring tape. Cowboys, cops and Charlie’s Angels pulled the gun, but did not harass or blow the criminal’s head off. And sexuality was under wraps instead of scantily clad Victoria’s Secret models strutting down the cat walk with Angel wings. Remember the once a year broadcast of Gone with the Wind and The Wizard of Oz? Staying up late was a treat and those movies were a family event.

In the 80′s, we were introduced to Cable TV and MTV changed how we experienced music. I remember the excitement of seeing The Police, Michael Jackson’s Thriller and Cyndi Lauper perform over and over and over again, but it was the chance to see them perform that was so much more fun than just listening to the radio. We also, were introduced to videos… remember the VHS? No longer did we have to wait for the once a year “Frankly… my Dear, I don’t give a Damn.” But we did have to wait with baited breath to find out “Who Shot JR?”

Fast Forward to 2011: Real Housewives of Beverly Hills make us thankful for being able to live comparatively “normal” lives. As our viewing tastes have changed, our tolerance for what is acceptable on Prime Time TV has radically changed. The technology has changed as well – Black & White TV’s to VHS to DVD’s to Endless channels to real-time live streaming. In May 2011, the entire world had a front seat row at the Royal Wedding 2.0 as it was Live broadcast globally from YouTube.

What is interesting about today’s media is our growing tendency to want to “share” our thoughts and opinions and our ability to feel connected to the stars. Not only are we drawn-into the dramas of the “Housewives” and the Kardashians, but we want to connect with them and get in on their thoughts through their Tweets and social media updates.

Enter Social Media: This week, Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook announced the upcoming changes at the F8 conference. His vision for Social Media is that we will all be sharing our media tastes and moments. Social Apps, like Hulu, are being developed to enable us to create a social experience out of the Television that we are watching. We will be able to share our comments about shows during the broadcast. Watching TV, Reading News, Watching Movies or Sharing Music with our friends adds a new (social) dimension to media as we know it.

Media Democracy: The one thing that I can say is as TV has evolved, so has our freedom of choice. There seems to be an infinite list of channels on cable TV and limitless programs to cater to various lifestyle interests. On the other hand, it seems like the programming is consistently pushing the envelope toward the direction of tasteless, lack of boundaries. (And we wonder why our kids behave the way they do…?)

Sensory Overload: On the other hand, there is a constant, never-ending chatter about what is going on in the world around us. As a result, many of us have gone through moments of utter “Social Fatigue.” We are constantly being bombarded with messages: Emails & Voice Mails are giving way to Text Messaging. Our Social Media channels are constantly flowing with Twitter streams and now the Facebook “Ticker.” There are times when we need to just turn it all off and get back to the natural, tangible world. And then, we wonder what we might be missing out on…

New Frontiers in Global Communications: In less than a decade, Media has been radically altered by the advent of Social Media. Changes to the networks are evolving daily. It is almost impossible to predict where we are going. Much like the pioneers who packed up their wagons to “Go West” into the unknown, we are heading toward a New Economy. In this Digital world, those who accelerate toward the new frontier are going to reap the rewards and the ones who resist the changes are simply going to be left behind.

The New Media Revolution: The one thing I can agree with… this YouTube Video “It’s the End of TV as we Know it” is a great overview of the changes that are happening. The Video highlights just how much Social Media has completely revolutionized and redefined the way our world communicates.