There always seems to be a topic of discussion that is prominent for a couple of days. Lately it has been social media and more specifically the definition of it. Several discussions with clients and co-workers, quite a few blog entries and even a recommendation by the Finnish consumer agency on what kind of viral marketing is suitable, have all touched the subject.

I did already kill off social media in a previous post but having to discuss the topic has brought me back to it. I am not changing my view that social media is going down. It seems I need to deal with the issue daily, so a definition might come handy.

All the definitions I have seen, seem to be quite long winded. They go on and on about the tools currently available or activities that people can perform with these tools. The impacts of social media are also widely discussed, but I still feel that something is missing.

In all simplicity, my definition is this:

Social media = A medium where downstream and upstream are equal.

I would love to hear if anyone has any other thoughts on the subject.