18 Thought-Provoking Quotes About Social Media (2023)

What are thought leaders saying about the technology that has become so central to business and our personal lives? Let's take a look 👀

It’s difficult to remember a time without social media, when we weren't connected at all times, just a tap of the finger away from all our favorite people and brands at any moment.

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Social media has become society's central hub for sharing news, photos, feelings, and inspiration.

Seeing as it plays such a vital role in our work and personal lives, most people have an opinion about social media. Whether you love or hate it, you can’t deny that you have an opinion about it.

Social media platforms have changed the way we do business, consume content, spend our free time, and share our personal lives and opinions.

One social media post has the power to change people's lives, open up opportunities, launch small businesses, and start movements!

It's moved the way we communicated into a heavy focus on visual content, which has increased the value of and interest in graphic design and photography.

That being said, most industry leaders have had something to say about social media, offering interesting insights into and observations about contemporary culture.

To give you some food for thought and even maybe a chuckle, we've curated 16 thought-provoking social media quotes. Save them, share them and let them soak in!‌

Not communicating your messaging on social media platforms is no longer an option for businesses and leaders. It's where the people are and our most direct route of connecting with them.

It's up to businesses and marketers to deeply understand these platforms. We have to understand how to use them to their full capacity.

We have to employ both creativity and strategy to master the social media post and optimize our use of each platform.

1.

While T.S Eliot died in 1965, these words from his 1936 poem ‘Burnt Norton’ have only become even more relevant today. In the poem, he says "moderns" are "distracted from distraction by distraction," which is precisely what social media arguably is today if we're not careful.

T.S Eliot obviously wasn't referring to social media when he wrote this (as it did not yet exist); he did make an accurate observation about modern culture that becomes more relevant with each passing year.

Social Media has a tendency to be addictive and over-indulged when we're not being very conscious and intentional with it.

While it's a powerful tool for marketing, spreading positive messaging, building businesses, creating community and sharing special moments, it also has the power to be a considerable distraction and time-waster.

It's all too easy to get lost down the rabbit holes of Tik-Tok, Instagram, and Pinterest, so it's up to both marketers and consumers to recognize when social media is just being a meaningless distraction and to stop, take a breath and reconnect with our intentions.

2.

Germany Kent is a journalist who has said many profound things about social media, but this is possibly one of the most relevant - striking a chord with many who suffer with their mental health as a result of social media.

Social media shouldn’t be a place to share negativity, especially when targeted at others, so if you’re not getting any of the above from it, then perhaps it’s time to distance yourself from it for a while.

We hear more and more about the tragic consequences trolling and abuse can have, and it’s up to the individual to make wiser choices around how to behave online.

Like it or loathe it, there’s no escaping social media - it’s all around us. Whether you’re a marketer, a business owner or an individual, it affects you somehow.

The point is only to let it be a positive influence and tool in your life.

3.

Social Media manager and entrepreneur Aaron Lee makes an important point about the speed with which eveything takes place on social media.

It has grown rapidly and beyond comprehension over the last decade.

With so many people using it, you have to be quick if you want to be noticed, otherwise, you’ll fade quickly down the feeds.

For social media managers, understanding the opportune time to post, which platform and how frequently can make a big difference in the effectiveness of your campaigns.

4.

In this quote, sociologist and physician Nicholas Christakis brings to our attention that most people we are engaging with on social media platforms personally don't mean that much to us.

As the average person only actually has a handful of real friends in real life, it's not possible for us to have genuine relationships with all of our online "friends."

So what does this mean about the authenticity of our online engagements? Are they worth our efforts? Is it worth our time?

It’s very easy to get caught up in what others are doing, or at least what they say they’re doing, on social media.

People rarely share their dark news via social media, hence the ‘Instagram versus Reality’ posts you’ll see daily.

Perhaps next time you find yourself in the grips of envy towards people you don't even really know that well on social media, remember who your real friends are and share in their joy while sharing your own with them too.

5.

Charles Leadbeater is a leading authority on innovation and creativity, and he makes a valuable point about how what we choose to share says a lot about us. We should be able to stand behind it with integrity.

There are a lot of personal choices to be made when sharing content online. Sharing positive messages, news and avoiding posts that cause harm or offense to others can help you get the most enjoyment out of social media.

Sharing the content that interests you is also a good way to develop relationships with others online and help discover some mutual interests.

Think about what you're sharing and following, and always ask whether it's an accurate representation of who you are.

6.

Entrepreneur Jeffery Zeldman makes a good point.

For marketers, social media is an invaluable platform for reaching audiences.

But reaching those audiences is more difficult than it sounds. People want to be spoken to as humans in their own language, which means it’s important to connect with your audience in the right way.

Using bigger, ‘smarter’ words isn’t the way to win over your audience. It also doesn't help to use too many buzzwords or industry jargon.

7.

Twitter is a powerful truth. When people want to confirm a rumor or find out the latest news, they’ll go to Twitter before anywhere else.

As well as being a news source, it serves as a place for debate and discussion. Or at least it could be.

In the quote above, author Lauren Leto points out how social media can be a tool for compelling and meaningful discussion. Yet, we allow our attention to be consumed by frivolous scandal and gossip, which is just perpetuating itself the more energy we give it.

There’s no denying the influence of celebrities on Twitter, but often it’s the glamorous side of life that makes that trending list, rather than the hard-hitting news and engaging discussions.

8.

Founder of Convince and Convert, Jay Baer, reminds us in the quote above that the point of having followers n social media is to engage with them. It's meant to be a conversation and a community.

Whether you’re a business, an individual, a celebrity, or an influencer, the value of having a large following online is huge.

But it doesn’t mean anything if you don’t engage with them. Instead of worrying about your follower numbers, make sure you engage with them.

That’s where you’ll get the most value and trust, as opposed to empty likes and new follows.

9.

The rest of the quote goes:

"If a character dies, it is gonna be the number one trending topic on Twitter, it is gonna be the top trending story on Facebook — and Reddit and Tumblr just turn into a completely uncensored memorial service of memes.

This happens all the time with sports results, but — I s*** you not — I once got a notification from the BBC News app saying that a character in a show I was watching had just died! I thought that news notifications are supposed to be for impending natural disasters, not for just ruining my bloody afternoon."

Social media can make a TV series (#LoveIsBlind anyone?), helping to build up hype and get everyone talking.

The activity around Game of Thrones was huge! But, as great as it can be for new discoveries, it is terrible if you’re even just seconds behind.

Avoid social media like the plague if you don’t want to know who scored or which Stark has just been killed off - nothing is safe when it comes to staying spoiler-free.

Dan Howell's opinion exposes one of the annoyances of social media in a slightly humorous way. This grievance speaks to the lack of boundaries that exist in the social media sphere.

Firstly- the blurred lines around what constitutes "news," and secondly, the often thoughtless sharing (oversharing?) that comes from both individuals and publications.

Social media is such a free space where pretty much anything can be said and shared.

The freedom of social media has made it necessary for us to establish our boundaries within this sphere- businesses and individuals alike.

10.

In the early days of social media, it was barely used for marketing.

Flash forward to today, and it’s now one of the most popular tools used by businesses to market themselves.

In the quote above, author Ryan Lily uses the bicycle analogy to point out that social media is now the central marketing hub. It's where campaigns begin and end.

In fact, for many businesses, it’s the only way they’ll market themselves.

With social media being essentially free, it can provide a huge ROI when the message is right.

Even using more traditional marketing methods like print advertising, you can usually find a social handle included somewhere in the artwork.

11.

Founder of Intuit, Scott Cook, points out the power consumers have on social media to set the tone for what is believed about a brand or person.

The power of social media can turn a brand into a sensation overnight. Take iconic British influencer Mrs. Hinch.

An ordinary woman from Essex who loves to keep her house clean, she’s amassed over 3.2m followers in just a couple of years - all through sharing cleaning tips and remaining humble, likable, and honest throughout.

But it’s the impact she has on other brands that’s interesting to see.

One recommendation can make a brand Insta-famous, leading to empty shelves, waiting lists, and a vast overnight following.

And that’s what word of mouth on social can do. It’s the audience who decides how something is talked about, and opinions are soon reciprocated and shared.

Through the power of influencers, brands can spread far and wide compared to their own social media efforts, introducing a whole new type of marketing to the game.

12.

This is a great quote not only for marketers but for people across all businesses.

Founder and CEO of Hootsuite Ryan Holmes points out that social media has centralized basically all business functions.

Not only does social media provide an opportunity to market products and services on a daily basis, but it’s become a way to recruit employees, gather market research and feedback from customers, and collaborate with other brands.

While many businesses would have dismissed social media as a ‘time-wasting tool in the past, they’re certainly seeing the value now.

13.

Has social media made us lazy? Thanks to the power of online recommendations, we no longer need to search for anything!

Twitter and Facebook will tell us what’s going on in the world, and our communities, while Instagram will help you decide what to buy!

Recommendations are big news online, and if a friend or relative recommends something to you on social media, you’re much more likely to give it a try.

Social media now (almost) does it all.

It isn't just about social media can offer you though, it is also about what you can bring to social media... and how responsibly you use it too.

How well you do social media doesn't mean sitting there scrolling through your feed for hours and hours, it means using it effectively and efficiently.

14.

Huffington Post CEO Ariana Huffington speaks to the collaborative nature of social media in the quote above.

Social media doesn’t just provide a way for people to find content to read, watch or listen to - it gives them the chance to create it too.

Individuals don’t need a big budget or a fancy graphic designer to make something work, a creative idea takes care of the hard work.

Sharing great content is the way to make discoveries, and businesses and marketers can learn a lot by sharing the great content of others.

15.

The quote above is from Mark Zuckerberg the character in the social Network, not the actual real-life Mark Zuckerberg. The Social Network is an excellent film that makes some important commentary on social media.

If you needed to sum up the reason why we’re so invested in social media - this quote would be it.

Initially there to satisfy our curiosity about others, even if we’ve just met them, now it’s about something more than that.

We all know how awkward striking up a conversation with a stranger can be at a party or in a club. Still, social media has made it that much easier to develop connections and even build meaningful relationships.

16.

If you haven't encountered any of Seth Godin's writing, you should check out his blogs or books, especially if you're in the marketing industry.

He's a well-renowned thought leader in marketing and places a huge emphasis on the value of storytelling in this industry.

Storytelling is a vital part of marketing in the social media world. In many situations, it’s not just highlighting the products you sell, but rather what you have to say.

Social media is a creative space perfectly suited for storytelling and story sharing, and this is how we truly connect an audience with a product.

When it comes to creating content for social media, allowing storytelling principles to guide you will lead to well-crafted and resonant content.

17.

Author Mark Manson is famed for his strong opinion on all things culture. In the quote above, he speaks to the power of technology by pointing out how it has changed society.

This is particularly relevant to social media, which has indeed commoditized our time and completely shifted the landscape of business and marketing.

In his blog post on The Attention Economy, he points out how our attention and energy are being commoditized through social media platforms. It's an insightful piece worth a read!

18.

Author, speaker, and CEO Amy Jo Martin makes an interesting statement in the above quote when she calls social media the "ultimate equalizer."

It brings businesses and consumers from all cultures across the world together into one platform where everybody potentially has an equal opportunity to express their voice, which is pretty incredible!

Social media is the ultimate equalizer. It gives a voice and a platform to anyone willing to engage.

Key Takeaways 🤓

Hopefully, a few of these social media quotes have given you some food for thought 🥑 🤔.

These are our key takeaways from the words of industry leaders:

• Social media tools are designed to create a social experience. You will get the most out of these platforms, and your social media marketing strategy, if you use them to engage and start a conversation.
• Social media is the center point of any good marketing strategy
• Social media can be used to improve any facet of the business from sales to HR, product development, and beyond
• It's up to businesses and individuals to use their social media presence wisely- to use it for good and to be considerate with it
• It's up to each social media user to monitor their use of the platforms and develop a healthy, positive relationship with them
• Social media has changed society forever. Technology and social platforms will only become more integrated with life and business as we evolve
• It's a fast, constantly moving game. You've got to be really on top of things and fast-acting to stay relevant on social!

Like these quotes? Have a favorite? Share this article and let people know ☺️

Hopefully, we've made you think about social media in a way you might not have before. It's such a fascinating, ever-evolving space that's a lot of fun to observe and master.

What would your quote about social media be? 🤔