Social Media A Definition

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Followers and the followed. Little girl scared of the falcon.

Social media.  Fact or fiction? Definition first.  
S = society
O = online
C = communicating
I = intentionally
A = at
L = large

You have a better definition?  No problem, which brings us to followers and following and how the two never meet beautifully like a cobweb.   Mama wouldn’t agree.
To her, cobwebs outside windows meant that I was not cleaning them regularly.  Mama please indulge me.  I think I’m a wordsmith, so I can play with words, put different toppings on the pizza, so to speak.

Back on the blog.  Followers and following.  People like Amitabh Bachchan, a Bollywood superstar and Michelle Obama do not return the favour and follow the millions that follow them.  Scratch my back I’ll scratch yours does not apply to social media. They are in the social media space but are anti-social.  They are not alone.  It is the norm with the rich, famous and followed.  
The followed do not even know who is following them because half of the followers are eggheads or hiding ‘behind the bush followers’, that use logos and pets. 
The followed do not follow followers because they have nothing in common.  They cannot help the followed in any way because they are already there on top of the pyramid, close to the stars.  That is why they have more than a million followers.  Here are some Twitter stats:

  NAME
FOLLOWERS
FOLLOWING
DATE
Amitabh Bachchan
37.1 million
I,853
2019/05/14
Michelle Obama
12.6 million
18
2019/05/14


WAY FORWARD
It should be automatic.  For example, Bachchan should follow 37.1 million.  Michelle Obama 12.6 million.  One click should serve two functions: to follow and be followed otherwise, the term social media is a hoax.
By:  Nonqaba waka Msimang.

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