The Social Media Sinkhole

Over at McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, a particularly hilarious article skewers the non-industry that is “social media management”— a task bright college graduates are frequently pigeonholed into by themselves and/or employers.

Let’s Get This Laundromat to the Forefront of Social Media!

Guys, I want you all to meet Joe. He’s the new head of social media and marketing strategy here at Bubble Trouble Laundromat….. Joe says that virtually every successful player in the laundry game uses social media to draw and maintain customers….

Instead of repairing dryer number fourteen, we’re investing some funds with Joe’s website team, which includes developers, writers, and photographers to spin out our superior suite of “comprehensive laundry solutions,” as Joe calls it….The final piece is LinkedIn. Again, something I encourage all employees to use. Min and Tyler: Both of you should start profiles and endorse each other. Tyler, you can endorse Min for “Washing and Folding Laundry.” Min, please endorse Tyler for “Cashiering” and “Customer Service.” Do you see how it all connects?

If you’re a young-looking person hired fresh out of college by a small company, the odds are high you’ll be asked to work on their “social media presence”— this request may be spoken in a tone that assures you your boss has little idea what he’s asking you to do. There’s nothing wrong with managing social media, personally or professionally, but recent graduates should vigilantly ensure that they are valued as an asset, not because of the skills their “generation” or stereotype possesses, but for the unique skills they offer as an individual person. First, not every millenial worker is as obsessed with social media as we’re billed to be; your employer may assume your age equips you to acquire 1,000 Facebook likes in a week for his business. Second, being hired as a stereotype makes you eminently replaceable by anyone born between 1980 and 2000. You have more to offer. Third, you know the slightly sick feeling you get when you’ve been on Facebook doing nothing for four hours? That will be how you feel when you leave work if all you do is promote what you’ve been given. If you want to have ideas, not promote other people’s, it doesn’t matter what company you’re doing social media for— you’ll feel unfulfilled.

Recent graduates are just as complex and valuable as any other working generation. Let’s stop letting ourselves be pigeonholed into a skillset that may not outlast Facebook.