I Hate 'Sociable Media'
Shelton Lee Bumgarner
Ahssa! Editor
http://ahssa.blogspot.com
Sociable media, how do I hate thee? Let me count the ways.
I guess strictly put, I don't hate sociable media the idea, I hate
sociable media the little cottege industry of pretentious, mentally
masterbating, pinheaded eggheads who are on the verge of exploding onto
the world's collective conciousness with their hipster, bobo circle
jerk.
The idea itself is perfectly ligit -- Friendster, Flickr, et al are
changing the way people interact with media because there is a
interactive, social component to their form of media.
Even though I know just a little bit about this little cottage
industry, using "this slice thinking" I am quickly able to tell that I
hate the little clique of people who are going to attack MSNBC and
demand their chance to be talking heads.
MSNBC: So, what can you tell us about the Michael Jackson case from a
'sociable media' standpoint?
PINHEAD WITH REQUIST FUNKY HAIR AND COOL GLASSES: Oh, Judy, you know
that because of the 'tragedy of the commons' those few people who
support Jackon are taking over and making trouble for everyone else.
People like me have been struggling against the type of person who is
into sociable media since the dawn of society. If it wasn't sociable
media, it was something else.
What's ironic about all of this is that I should be friends with most
of these people because we're both smart, both interesting and both
interested in media. But that's where the similarites end.
I think some of it is that people in their early 20s are all doe eyed
and want to change the world so they need some dumbass idea to latch on
to and make old people like me feel stupid when we disagree and say
they're full of shit.
One of my favorite movies is "Roger Dodger," because it sums up my
world view in a lot of ways.
For example:
Roger: You can't sell a product without first making people feel bad.
Nick: Why not?
Roger: Because it's a substitution game. You have to remind them that
they're missing something from their lives. Everyone's missing
something, right?
Nick: I guess.
Roger: Trust me. And when they're feeling sufficiently incomplete, you
convince them your product is the only thing that can fill the void. So
instead of taking steps to deal with their lives, instead of working to
root out the real reason for their misery, they go out and buy a stupid
looking pair of cargo pants.
I get the sense that most sociable media folks favorite movie would be
"Coyote Ugly."
Or maybe a double feature of that movie with "The Matrix."
In my imagineation, sociable media pontificators are just like all
those overly sensitive frail-little-ego people I so easily offended in
college.