Social media is a trap – that’s the point. What many fail to appreciate is the consequence of the trap – once your in, the echo is so strong you don’t see or hear it. Speaking at a conference recently I called this the narrowing – where we think we are engaging in ever broader conversation because of all we are exposed to but in fact what we are exposed to is narrowing because the network of people posting are all alike.

But most people use social media not to unite, not to open their horizons wider, but on the contrary, to cut themselves a comfort zone where the only sounds they hear are the echoes of their own voice, where the only things they see are the reflections of their own face. Social media are very useful, they provide pleasure, but they are a trap. Zygmunt Bauman: “Social media are a trap”

When Bauman speaks of “liquid modernity” the same is true of our brands – they are, as he says of society, based on “all agreements are temporary, fleeting, and valid only until further notice”. Social media accelerates liquidity by empowering the network to refer, rate and comment at speed.

A fascinating read…