Thing 11: Social Media

I've done some searching in Digg, etc; and it just seems to be another way to share funny pictures; odd videos; or bizarre textual exchanges on the internet. Sometimes there are links to news stories; but I really expect there to be more news than what is marked. It (social media) appears to be an especially good way to filter out what is important in a timely manner, which is increasingly important as more and more information is released in less and less time. In theory, a good idea. Yet, in reality, the Digg's (for example) are often on fun things, neat things, here-today-gone-tomorrow news items, etc. Social media, for me, becomes too social. It is less about sharing data and information that could potentially become knowledge and more about instant gratification, humor, and other fleeting experiences like staying up on the news of the day. Am I a fan of social media? Not really; but as with other Web 2.0 "things", it will be interesting to see what another librarian who has time and patience can do with it.