Is Scarlett Johansson Right About Social Media?

Call it a compelling discussion from an unlikely source. Granted, she isn’t considered one of the great minds of her generation, but actress Scarlett Johansson made headlines yesterday when she publicly pooh-poohed the use of social media and said she’s “always surprised” when she finds out that other actors actually use sites like Twitter or Facebook.

In an interview with the Huffington Post, Johansson said “I don’t have a Facebook or a Twitter account, and I don’t know how I feel about this idea of, ‘Now, I’m eating dinner, and I want everyone to know that I’m having dinner at this time,’ or ‘I just mailed a letter and dropped off my kids.’ That, to me, is a very strange phenomenon. I can’t think of anything I’d rather do less than have to continuously share details of my everyday life.”

Many celebrities, like folks who use Twitter for business, would argue that Johansson is off base and that social media is more powerful than just a tool to share the mundane. Yet recent data suggest that many people in Johansson’s demographic are turning their backs on social media. So who’s right here, the actress or the marketers?

Let’s call it a draw. On one hand, Johansson does have a point. The use of Twitter to track the daily yawn-inducing adventures of z-list celebrities negates the amazing things social media is capable of doing for brands, individuals and non-profits. And let’s not be too quick to promote Johansson as some pilgrim whose shrugged off technology. The star did, after all, just digitally drop a sound bite that has now appeared in news feeds around the globe, so clearly she does know the power of digital media and branding. On the other hand, social media is more powerful and useful than folks give it credit for. We’re pretty sure if ScarJo had a line of shoes or a perfume, miss thing would be tweeting away like nobody’s business. Which is to say the platform just naturally lends itself to be more useful to people with brands than just people taking out their garbage.

Readers, you make the call. To tweet or not to tweet? That is the question. Sound off about the merits of social media marketing in the comments section below!