Has social media lost its newness? Perhaps! Many would say about time too. According to an article on WebProNews, 58% of respondents in a recent survey did not recognize the term social networking.

Social networking as a fad had to come to an end at some time. Along the way many people have enjoyed using the services and met many new friends, however, as is becoming apparent, many sites are now becoming rigid in how you use those services.

If you accept that the largest demographic to use social media is in the under 35′s, finding a haven away from the rules of society has been one of the biggest attractions. As soon as society’s rules start to affect their online experience, they want nothing to do with that site. Social networking is not a young person’s terms. They don’t go online to network, they go online to meet friends and do whatever young people do.

They play games, they chat, they gossip, they even wind each other up. Start to put restrictions on these actions and it is no longer fun. It is more of home, school, work and society – the very fabric of our society that they are trying to escape. Of course they don’t recognize social networking. Social networking and social marketing are two business terms. They are certainly not in the everyday language of the majority of users.

Social media marketing will not be lost, at least, not in the short term. As the younger generation move on, the over 35′s are moving in. The old joke of a parent signing in to Facebook or Myspace to talk to their child is no longer a joke. It is real, and the kids don’t like the rules they are bringing with them!