Emerging social media platforms appear to come with a requisite social media guru kabuki dance.

The Platform appears. The Platform bows to the gurus looking desperately to publicize that they’ve been bowed to. The guru teases the masses with what they can’t have. The masses get whipped into a frenzy.  Scarcity, of course, makes the heart grow fonder and the network potential stronger.  We supplicate before those above us on the social pyramid.  We’ve heard that they hold the key to The Platform.

As we wait, we dream of how good it will be. We dream that this is The Platform that will make us more empowered, more connected, and more engaged than ever before.  This is the solution that will make us pure in heart, mind and digital signal.  And despite its rumored shortcomings we learn that the best is yet to come.  Our happiest, most hyperconnected life lies just beyond beta.

Then there’s the predictable arms race of guru hacks and how-to’s, do’s and dont’s, peppered with the vague assurance that this is really it.  This is what we’ve been waiting for. Could it just be shiny object syndrome?  Of course. But what if it isn’t?

The Platform watches in quiet approval as the kabuki dance unfolds.

(In an unrelated matter, I happen to have some Google+ invites. Message me with your gmail address.  Addendum:  Gone just as quickly as I posted and it seems Google+ is again closed to new members.  But there are more invites where that came from.  Just check 33 charts every 5 minutes and follow/friend/fan/like/love/hug/1+ me on every one of my social properties.  All I’ll say is you have to see Google+ to believe it.)

If you like this post you might like the 33 charts Social Media Archive. This collection consists of everything written about social media.