LONDON - Just the headline alone could make fury rain down on my head.

In fact, it's an unfair one too.  Because I don't think it is over-rated.  I think people should take more notice of it.  I think it will influence the future.  Yada, yada, yada.

However...

I also think that there are people trying to talk it all up a bit too much.

Including me some days.

And we're really just talking about a bunch of new computer thingies.

I worry about all the hype for a few reasons:

1) Social media will never really be all-inclusive. 
There will always be people who live for it and those who won't touch it.

2) We are still talking about life in dpi (dots per inch). 
It's two dimensional.  I know it's easier than real life.  But that's because it's in two dimensions.  In real life you have to work hard to become a fighter pilot or a brain surgeon.  (And that's a good thing.)

3) You still live on your street. 
And that means taking out the trash and paying the milkman.  Yes it's cool that you've got a mate in New Mexico (and that she's a fighter pilot).  It is impressive that you can order a pizza while playing a MMOG, but you've still gotta answer the door.

It is impressive that there are either 50 million, or 100 million blogs today (so, that's precise then), but there are 6 billion people on earth.  So that's 0.8% of the population.  And we know that there are more people writing blogs that reading them. (That always makes me sad.)

So what do we really expect social media to do?

• make some aspects of work easier?
• change the way we shop or do consumer research?
• create new 'networks of interest'?
• provide years of distraction for interested people?

Check, check, check, check.

But what of the wider claims?  Will social media really:

• change the way we communicate?
• put power back in the hands of the people?
• change the definition of friendship?
• make copyrights redundant?
• (bring about world peace?
• find a cure for all known diseases?
• do the laundry?)

Um. No, no, no, no and nope.

That's not to say that wikis aren't cool.  That YouTube isn't hours of fun.  And that Second Life isn't something that you should check out.

But in the evolution of man, this ain't no French Revolution.  Sorry.  You still have to wash today.

/df