50 Reasons Why People Don’t Use Social Media

With more than 800 million users of Facebook, over 120 million people on LinkedIn and more than 200 million accounts on Twitter, you might say the tipping point’s been reached as far as social media usage goes.

Yet despite such a large critical mass using these social media properties, there are still plenty of skeptics, detractors and naysayers among us, especially in the corporate world, where cautiousness and conservatism abound.

As someone who’s been talking to anyone and everyone within earshot about the benefits of using social media since I launched my own blog in 2004, I know this for a fact: Unless you’re preaching to the choir, the life of a social media practitioner and proponent is often a lonely, uphill battle.

At this stage of the game, those of us with significant social media experience — and enthusiasm — are less likely to be surrounded by like-minded converts than to be facing opposition and resistance to this revolutionary, new way of online communications.

Why would someone be so reluctant to jump on the social media bandwagon? Let me count the ways. Seriously, I’ve heard so many explanations why some people won’t even try social media, I thought I’d pull them all together in one long list. Ask one of these holdouts why he or she doesn’t use social media and you could get any one, or more, of the following 50 reasons for an answer…  

50 Reasons Why People Don’t Use Social Media

1. I’m too busy.
2. It’s just a fad.
3. It’s only for young people.
4. It’s not my job.
5. What would I say?
6. I’m successful without it.
7. I’m not interesting enough.
8. It terrifies me.
9. I’ll get a lot of spam.
10. It’s a waste of time.
11. I’m afraid of getting negative comments and criticism.
12. I prefer to use the phone.
13. There’s no ROI.
14. I can’t write.
15. I know nothing about computers.
16. I don’t like to brag.
17. I have enough friends already.
18. It takes too much time.
19. I don’t want anyone to see my picture.
20. It’s impersonal.
21. I don’t want complete strangers following me.
22. I don’t care what someone else had for lunch.
23. I’d rather meet in person.
24. I’m too shy.
25. I don’t want the responsibility.
26. I’m in front of the computer enough already.
27. It’ll get you into trouble.
28. I don’t want to get hacked.
29. I don’t know how to use it.
30. I like my privacy.
31. I don’t want anyone at the office to know anything about my personal life.
32. It’s too complicated.
33. I guess I’m just old-fashioned.
34. I’ve got better things to do with myself.
35. I just don’t get it.
36. I don’t like change.
37. My computer will get a virus.
38. I’m too tired.
39. I’m too old.
40. It’s too personal.
41. I’m afraid I’ll be stalked.
42. My company doesn’t allow it.
43. I don’t have a smartphone.
44. I don’t want to embarrass myself.
45. I have too much to lose.
46. I prefer email.
47. I don’t want my friends from high school to find me.
48. There’s too much to learn.
49. It’s too much work.
50. I wouldn’t know where to begin.

There you have it – 50 reasons why people don’t use social media. What other reasons have you heard people give for not publishing a blog, establishing a presence on Facebook, keeping a LinkedIn profile up to date and showing up at least once in a while on Twitter? Please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts on what I’ve written about in this post by leaving a comment below.

Related Resources and Information

Facebook Now Has 800 Million Users (Mashable)
LinkedIn Now Adding Two New Members Every Second (TechCrunch) 
Twitter Celebrates 5 Years and 200 Million Users (AOL News)

Note: This post, "50 Reasons Why People Don't Use Social Media," was initially published on the blog, A New Marketing Commentator, on October 10, 2011.