Social media, a newborn industry

Mashable asked us yesterday, "Is social media an industry?"



It's crazy to think that a new industry could just emerge out of thin air. According to Mashable's graph, the term "social media" didn't establish common usage until late 2006. I created my Facebook account in early 2005. I got into Gmail in 2007, and Twitter and blogging in 2008. Social media happened very, very fast, and it's still growing.



According to Indeed.com's Job Trends, social media jobs have been rapidly increasing since 2006. And where there's a steady increase in jobs with a common theme, there's a rising new industry.

The most likely reason that social media is growing so fast is that anyone can start a social network. Especially with the aide of sites like Ning, you don't need an PhD, MBA or even a bachelor's to get in the game. All you really need is basic knowledge of web design, Java and marketing. And as these starter sites grow, they're steadily creating jobs - a scarce phenomenon in today's economy.

While social media may not have quite reached industry status yet, it's well on its way to becoming one. If we want to benefit from social media, we shouldn't underestimate its newborn position in our society, but learn to embrace it.