Self-Censorship.

Most people that are active in social media believe that their profiles online should represent who they are and what they believe. The more connected people are to their friends online, the more that their actions matter in real life. If you make a post that attracts a lot of attention online, someone may say something to you about it in real life. If you are consistently funny on Facebook or Twitter, your friends or peers may expect the same of you in real life, too.

Despite the high amount of content posted by users online, there is probably even more that isn't posted.

Censorship in the Form of Self-Restraint.

Terms like "attention whoring" and "begging for likes" are thrown around frequently whenever someone posts content just to receive the recognition or notoriety for whatever they post. The fact that these terms are commonly used online shows that there is a certain level of insecurity or low self-esteem associated with at least a portion of social media users. While this can viewed as some kind of psychological weakness, it may also be the source of content control, my preferred term for self-censorship.

When users implement content control, they stop themselves from posting anything online that may not align very well with either themselves or the people that receive updates from them. It removes some of the uncertainty that a post may not be well received by a particular online community and provides content that is more relevant and better-suited to the tastes of interested parties.

In the article linked above, the numbers show that a majority of Facebook users participate in self-censorship when posting anything on the social network. In an environment as content-driven as Facebook, it is important to the company itself that users implement content control when posting anything. Since the company itself won't remove posts on any page that isn't associated with them, the only moderation as to what is posted on individual profiles comes from the profiles themselves. If other users get fed up with what is being frequently posted, they may choose to abandon the site altogether.

While Facebook may not be the only site where self-censorship is a common happening, it may be where it happens most often. Social networks where it is acceptable for users to post often, such as Twitter and Tumblr, don't necessarily condone content control, since clutter is expected in the feeds of active users. Facebook, however, should attempt to use the fact that their users control themselves, to its advantage in some way.

Google+ Gets Glamour-ous.

Google+ often draws much criticism for not having as much activity as other social networks, like Facebook and Twitter. I have seen it referred to as a ghost town, where people may create accounts that they quickly abandon because of a lack of appeal. One feature on Google+, though, that really stands out is the opportunity for users to initiate "hangouts".

Glamour Hangouts on Google+

Glamour Magazine, a fashion publication, has launched a series of scheduled hangouts with any of its followers over the next month. Any of these hangouts will give them a chance to showcase products that may be partnered with them, some of the expertise of their staff, or even just further gauge the interests of their readers and followers. At a time when print media is supposedly on the decline, this is a great way for them to increase consumer interest in the service they are offering.

When I first read the headline of the article linked above, my mind immediately jumped to the conclusion that Glamour and Google would be charging users for the ability to participate in these hangouts. As different as that is, that in itself could be considered newsworthy and a little innovative. While the ability to start a hangout with anyone is free on Google+, presenting these specific opportunities as premiums would have elevated the brand to a prestige not previously explored.

Instead, Glamour still finds themselves the first movers in an area that could prove to be quite lucrative. Product placement has been increasing in both quantity and quality over the past few years, especially since television commercials are no longer viewed as much as they used to be. Display advertising, the online equivalent of print ads, has very low relative success, as well. Much of it is ignored, since it may not appeal to the Internet user that is seeing it.

For those involved in these hangouts, though, the relevancy of what is being presented can not be questioned at all. If a Google+ user is interested, they will participate, so there would be no waste in promotional coverage. Glamour has everything to gain, though, since their followers and readers will either come to trust their expertise even more or invest in the products that are being presented to them.

It will be interesting to see how other brands might try to explore product placement via social interactions in the future. Google+ hangouts present the most interactive opportunity that could be available to a company right now, and the effectiveness of a brand with actual products to promote, as opposed to partnered brands, could vary based on consumers' reactions.

Get Connected.

Social media is an everchanging form of communication. In its primitive stages, blogs like Xanga existed to give Internet users a way of expressing their thoughts to whomever decided to read them. Not long after, Myspace and Facebook occupied the space that most social butterflies unknowingly needed to be filled. Though the former may have fallen off a bit in terms of both usage and popularity, Facebook has become as much of a cornerstone in Internet conversation as Google. While the curious mind will say "Let me Google that really quick!", the social mind will suggest "Find me on Facebook!"

To keep it as simple as possible, Facebook is social media.

This isn't to limit the idea of social media to only the networking giant, but to suggest that recognition of one idea brings about concurrent recognition of the other.

When the average person thinks of basketball, they think of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Baseball? New York Yankees.

Football? Dallas Cowboys.

There's a metaphorical poster-boy for every major concept. As long as the brain continues to operate under the idea of association, this will always hold true.

Many platforms of social media have emerged since Facebook gained in popularity. Twitter, Foursquare, Pinterest, Tumblr, GetGlue, and many others offer users very unique and specialized experiences, ranging from location-sharing to virtual window shopping. However, over and done with are the days of competition between these various brands of social media. You can post onto Foursquare, Facebook, and Twitter from GetGlue. Pinterest has a share option that links to Facebook and Twitter, as well. At this point in time, you can even link your Myspace and Facebook together.

There isn't some secret crusade by the social media heavyweights to increase the reliance on their brands by their users. Those in charge have just come to realize that, as much as their users are loyal to them, an Internet user takes pride in having freedom of opinion. They want the ability to hold membership with a variety of social networks, even if just to have the ability to do so. Whether they exercise this ability is irrelevant.

As various brands in social media pave the way in doing so, their users mirror them by linking one account to another and providing even more evidence supporting the importance of feasibility in the usage of their services. After all, people only ever want to do one thing.

Get connected.