My Dad and I are also big Theodore Roosevelt fans, who's personal credo was "speak softly and carry a big stick"-- another version of "Actions Not Words."
But today being famous has become its own virtue. People are famous just for being famous, with no "Action" required. The Kardashians are a prime example of this dynamic. Aside from one uninspiring sex tape (so I'm told) have any one of them ever done anything except whine in front of a camera? Other examples include the likes of Paris Hilton, The Situation, and a myriad of YouTubers out there just flooding the world with their own likenesses.
Social media has only served to exacerbate this phenomenon. In fact, sharing has now become its own virtue. Klout scores, Twitter followers, likes, retweets - they are all becoming a new doorway to our own perceived fame. While chasing this fame won't end social networking as we know it, I do believe it is leading to its plateau.
My friend Tony Gandia pointed out to me that UNfriending has become a trend. Why? because people are flooding us by hitting share just to hit share. People are pumping more and more useless and regurgitated information into the ether as if they themselves created the original content. All this in an attempt to to increase the Klout score, tack up some likes, grab some followers, and reach for our own little moments of fame.
There is information and data, and then there is noise. And here I am ready to hit "publish post" to create some more noise.
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