Times have changed. The social butterflies, the frivolous, trendy kids who were told that the real world demands actual academic skills and credentials, not just the ability to text their friends in the middle of a lecture on The Great Gatsby, may actually be winning.
Winning? Yeah, winning in the almost Darwinian fight for survival in the 21st century working world. Because despite everything your mom ever told you about real and lasting values, being a genius at social networking will get you a good job.
Okay, I admit it. We’re exaggerating. And we certainly don’t mean to poke fun at party people. Life would be pretty dull without them. But the fact is, social skills really are becoming indispensable in the modern business world. Because let’s face it, the social media are a force to be reckoned with. Social networks like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram have become major platforms for engaging customers and doing business. Companies that want to exploit these platforms (and that means most companies) are hiring social media experts.
So what makes a successful social media specialist? A mix of skills in traditional marketing and communications along with customer service experience and consumer technology savvy. But first and foremost, social media specialists need to understand the psychology of human interaction. They need to be community-focused people who know how to manage engagement.
Of course, experts say that the most successful social media experts are those individuals who also understand the convergence of technology, communications, and business. They may be cloud computing experts with interpersonal communication skills, mobile app developers who excel in social media advertising. They are, surprisingly, technology professionals with social skills.
Socially adept technocrats. It is a brave new world indeed.