Social Media in a Nutshell

Every election, people put up lawn signs to proclaim who should be elected or how you should vote.

The signs on people's lawns actually have some value: you see how your neighbours plan to vote. This is worth something. If my whole community seems to be leaning one way, maybe theres a reason I should think about. Or... if I go past a neighbourhood that I don't relate to (too rich, too poor, too old, too family-oriented...), I might see their votes as contrary to the direction I want to go.

But...
The signs in public places -- highway exits, construction sites, parks -- are meaningless. All they tell me is which candidates have the most marketing money. I don't know where they got it. And I don't now who is supporting them.

The first example is social media.
The second is plain ol' ordinary mass advertising.

It's not the number of signs that matter, it's where they're put.