If your timelines are anything like ours, you’ve seen plenty of 10 year challenge posts popping up in the last couple weeks. Now that we have seen just how much we’ve aged in the last decade, let’s take a few moments today to celebrate the transformation of social media over the last ten years!
A decade ago, we began to see corporate brands get a foothold on Twitter and Facebook. Instagram was barely on the horizon. At Social Media Club, we saw the opportunity to bring together professionals and build a framework for ethical practices in what was then the Wild West of the Internet. We brought together talented strategists and communicators to build a better community.
Social media has transformed our personal interactions and the way we do business. Engagement has changed. Tagging friends in a meme feels like the new greeting card to let people know you are thinking about them and to share a quick laugh. We stay in touch in a time when it feels like relationships are becoming more shallow. Of course, we have faced significant challenges along the way.
On one hand, we’ve seen social media used to spread misinformation and propaganda, and to support a rise in global terrorism. On the other hand, we have seen ice bucket challenges, supported friends in hard times, and grown relationships with the strongest corporations and non-profit organizations. We have a direct link to our politicians, celebrities, and community leaders like never before.
Transparency has become the new normal and a new sense of accountability has been formed. Bad behaviors are no longer tolerated, and those who are doing good in the world are celebrated and recognized for their impact.
Social media has evolved and adapted, and at Social Media Club we are helping our members around the world stay on the forefront of technology, trends, and the issues that challenge us today. We create both global and hyperlocal communities that build each other up. We provide guidance on how people, brands, and organizations can use new tools in an effective and ethical manner.
In our tenth year since incorporating, we at Social Media Club are celebrating with new chapters, new members, a renewed vision, and dedicated leadership.
This January, we are pleased to announce that our Global Co-Chair has formally stepped in as the first Executive Director of Social Media Club. Caroline Jones of Des Moines is listening to members and leading us into the next decade of change.
We are eager to hear from our members about their experience over the last decade, and to learn what they see as the future of Social Media.
In the meantime, click here to check out some more of our favorite highlights from the last 10 years. Tag us in your favorite SMC memories on social media (you know where to find us!), that way we can repost and tell the whole world. Together we will make the next 10 years even better!
Very truly yours,
– Social Media Club Global Board of Directors
