Social networks are not the be-all and end-all of the internet.
There you go, I said it. While social networks create platforms that allow marketers to capitalize on our belonging and affiliation needs; Web 2.0 means a lot more than that.
Thankfully blogs allow content creators to publish their thoughts. Global reach has also enabled entrepreneurs and artists from all over the world to enrich our lives with their work - often for free. The most inspiring and insightful talks are recorded and shared with the world at TED. These are significant achievements independent of the ‘social networking revolution’ happening today and deserve a fair bit of credit.
It is a safe assumption to make that most people with an internet connection today have their basic physiological and safety needs met. If that is the case, then there is a needs-based hierarchy of internet users:
- Media Consumers
- Social Users
- Content Creators, and finally;
- Pay it Forwards
This list is loosely based on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and can be used to describe a variety of behaviour on the internet. However, it does not mean that a social user may not also be a content creator. These categories merely showcase the dominant driving force behind an individual’s internet use.
I’ll leave you with a thought: If your customers have already transcended beyond social media, does it really make sense for you to jump on the bandwagon?
