In my recent post on why PR industry leadership should to take up the gauntlet to reinvent the profession, I reference the ‘grudging accepters’ of social media.

That’s one of five stages I use in presentations to humorously describe the journey to test, learn and understand social media.  Some people breeze through, others take more time and still others get stuck along the way and never advance to GO (getting on-board).

Here are the stages:

  1. Naysayers – Life’s been good. You’ve risen through the ranks, had conventional success and are now an IP – that is, Important Person within your sphere of influence. You’re not about to be swayed by the untested and new. Your mantra is passively aggressive: ‘that’s how it’s always been done…that’s how it’s always been done…’ Social media is a fad.  It’s going to pass.
  2. Grudging accepters – You’ve read yet another article in MSM that talks about how social media is a game-changer. You heard the same hubbub about raves and young people a few years back. So you plug your ears. There’s no business case for it. At least not one you buy into. But you hedge your bets so you add social media to your suite of services, while taking every opportunity to trash and deny it.
  3. All-talk – You get that social media is important, but you just don’t have the time or inclination to actively engage with anyone other than your friends on Facebook. You’ve set up a Twitter account and lurk mostly. You’ve seen presentations on social media at various conferences. You’ve skimmed the surface enough to talk a good game: Bla-bla-bla…you’re good at pretending.
  4. Some action – You feel like you’re always playing catch up, RT’ing @mashable long after a new app is old news, reading blog posts after hours as opposed to when they’re published, commenting occasionally because you never have much to add (but actually, you do). You like the concept of curation but wonder how much time is involved. Hey, you’re almost there…
  5. SMAddict – You follow and are followed, friend and unfriend, share, create and curate content. 24/7 isn’t an expression, it’s your reality. Beta is your middle name. The dark Google+ circles under your eyes are a testament to that.  Your online personality is way more engaging than you are IRL. You’re an addict.  Now take a few steps back and reconnect with reality.

Does this sound familiar? What stage are you? If I look myself in the eye – honestly – I see a borderline number five and think 4.5 is probably a better place for me to be.

About Martin Waxman


Martin Waxman, MCM, is a digital communications strategist. He conducts AI research, leads digital and social media training workshops and speaks at events across North America. He's co-founder of two PR agencies, president of a consultancy and has worked in the industry for nearly 30 years. Martin is a LinkedIn Learning instructor, teaches digital strategy and social media at McMaster University, the Schulich School of Business, University of Toronto SCS and Seneca College. He's a member of the Institute for Public Relations Digital Media Research Center and a past-chair of PRSA Counselors Academy. He has a Master of Communications Management (MCM) from McMaster-Syracuse Universities.