Yes. Yes, there is a such thing as a social media expert. This topic has been been bugging me over the past few years.

“Expert
Audio (US) is someone widely recognized as a reliable source of technique or skill whose faculty for judging or deciding rightly, justly, or wisely is accorded authority and status by their peers or the public in a specific well-distinguished domain. An expert, more generally, is a person with extensive knowledge or ability based on research, experience, or occupation and in a particular area of study. Experts are called in for advice on their respective subject, but they do not always agree on the particulars of a field of study. An expert can be, by virtue of credential, training, education, profession, publication or experience, believed to have special knowledge of a subject beyond that of the average person, sufficient that others may officially (and legally) rely upon the individual’s opinion. Historically, an expert was referred to as a sage. The individual was usually a profound thinker distinguished for wisdom and sound judgment.” – My good friend Wikipedia.
For the past years, I’ve heard people say things along the lines of “There is no such thing as a social media expert!” What I find even more hilarious than this statement, is that I’ve often heard people make fun of anyone who deems themselves a “social media expert”. Sadly, the term “social media expert” has been overused by posers, unemployed hopefuls, and incompetent morons. With the over-usage of the word came a stigma attached with the usage of the term.

Today, I’d like to enlighten you on why those who scoff at the term “social media expert” don’t know what the hell they are talking about. Here is one of the many blog posts that argue this incorrect point for your reading pleasure :
Nerd’s Blog
Okay, I know you’re busy and might not have read through this post. Here is a brief synopsis of why they believe there is no such thing as a social media expert and why they make multiple invalid points.

“It’s too new and far too dynamic.” Each Apple product to come out is new and dynamic. There sure as hell are lots of “Apple experts” who could tell you about the product from the inside out. The same goes for mediums like Facebook or Twitter. There can be and ARE experts of these mediums who could tell you more than you’ve ever wanted to know about the platforms. Social media is a marketing channel and avenue for conversation. Marketing is not a new subject. If you don’t know the principles of marketing and how to use them effectively, you don’t know social media. They go hand in hand. Maybe a more appropriate term rather than social media expert” would simply be “digital marketing expert?”
“Each and every one of these sites allows you to have a profile and share information with someone. Ask your “Social Media Expert” if they can explain every single one of these sites to you. :

There is no way anyone could explain most of these tools to you? Lies! I can explain nearly 80% of these tools without the help of my friend Google. The other 20% I could find out in a matter of minutes. The ability to quickly learn a platform and realize the marketing opportunities and customer benefits are much more important than knowing exactly what every platform does.
“This is an area that is endless and it keeps growing.” That’s not an excuse – a social media expert knows that this area is continually growing (like any field!). That is why an actual expert reads. They read. Then then read again. Then they read some more. They also attend workshops, trade shows, and develop their own viewpoints on the subject matter. Becoming and staying a relevant expert on any given subject is a matter is a matter of putting in the hours to learn about a field AND developing an opinion. As with a doctor or a lawyer, a social media expert doesn’t know EVERYTHING. They do however know a great amount of subject matter about their field in comparison to the rest of the population. A doctor has the kind of discretion to recommend a certain type of medicine to achieve the best results. A social media expert can use this same sort of discretion to recommend which blogging platform a business should be on to achieve the best results.
So what does it take to be an expert in a given field? Oh ya know, possessing a cornucopia of knowledge, an array of insight, and an unsatisfiable hunger for learning about the field. While what actually constitutes the definition for an expert is debatable, writer Malcom Gladwell repeatedly mentions the “10,000-Hour Rule”, claiming that the key to success in any field is, to a large extent, a matter of practicing a specific task for a total of around 10,000 hours.” While I find this to not always be true, if an individual puts a large number of (quality) hours into learning any subject – chances are they’re going to know a lot more about the subject than the general population.
Here is what my Twitter friends say :



I believe there IS a such thing as a social media expert.
Disagree? Awesome. Start the duel below :