In a recent NextGen Journal op-ed, University of Iowa student Cathryne Sloane argued that every social media manager should be under the age of 25.
"I do commend the way companies (and basically the entire population) have jumped on the social media bandwagon and recognized that it is the best way to connect with people nowadays," Sloane wrote. "Yet, every time I see a job posting for a Social Media Manager/Associate/etc. and find the employer is looking for five to ten years of direct experience, I wonder why they don’t realize the candidates who are in fact best suited for the position actually aren’t old enough to have that much experience."
Ms. Sloane does not make a cogent argument, but perhaps that’s her point: her opinion has lit up Twitter and the blogosphere with hundreds of irate responses. Read the post and colorful replies from social media cognoscenti here.
Are social media managers in the AV systems industry—and indeed every industry—digital incarnations of the "newsies" of yore?
Who needs to actually understand a new product or news story's context as long as you can tweet/pin/digg/post/sing a headline in a captivating way?
Or, is this a question of who is better equipped to optimize media tools in a rapidly transforming frontier?
Maybe, as the NextGen Journal proves, the medium really is the message.
Margot Douaihy is the editor of AV Technology. She has covered technology trends for the past 13 years and has taught at Marywood University in Pennsylvania.
Who do you think is best suited to manage social media in the AV industry? Share your perspective in the comment section.
