* The following post has not been edited. I didn’t have the energy to go through it more than once. It’s too painful. Please excuse any errors.

This post has been about a month or two in the making. I didn’t want to post it, I swear. But it’s gotten to that point where it needs to be said. I’m afraid social media is going to fade away before we can see its true beauty.

We’ve all been there. I, unfortunately, go through it during every boxing PPV. The hype and promotion get you psyched up. You simply can’t wait. It’s going to be the greatest thing ever. Then, 20 minutes in and you realize that you’ve been played. It never actually lives up to its hype. It becomes boring and you walk away feeling cheated. I’m scared that with social media, we’re heading down that path.

I tend to stay away from the word potential. I hate it. Potential is never used when describing something or someone successful. Bill Gates never had potential. Google never had potential. Potential is always used to describe someone or something that never lived up to its hype. It had all the makings of something truly remarkable, yet it failed. Often times, it failed before it could even get to the big stage. With social media, that big stage is executive acceptance. It’s having an assigned seat in the boardroom. Yes, a few companies have accepted social media, but they’re few and  far between.

You see, it’s great to see celebrities and mainstream attention. It’s great to be talked about on national television. Social media needs that exposure to verify its credibility. It needs that press so people like you and me can feel we aren’t wasting our time. But has social media finally begun to sell out? Has social media peaked before we’ve even begun to see its true worth?

Here’s how the nightmare plays out in my head:

In 12-18 months, the general population will be so sick and tired of constantly hearing about social media. People have already begun to grow tired of Facebook – despite the fact that it continues to grow. I sense we’ll continue to see a decrease in time spent on Facebook. It may continue to grow, but if people begin to spend less time, is that growth positive?

So social media continues to be forced down our throat. Everyone who isn’t currently drinking the kool-aid becomes jaded. Those in the social space continue to preach and preach about it until others finally get tired and begin to distance themselves from mainstream social. The begin to evolve into passive social users. Brands continue to try to understand social, simply because they’re 1-2 years behind. In the end, we become less interested in social. It’s no longer new or fun. It becomes….kinda like MySpace – still around, but really third fiddle.

And all of this before we truly can utilize social media for its true…POTENTIAL.

Look, I understand that social is not going away. As a society, we demand instant communication. We demand the opportunity to have a voice. We want to interact with brands. Although, *plug for previous post* we could care less about brands listening to us. If one fancy tool fades away, something else that’s new and shiny will come and replace it. I get that. But how will the destruction of what we today call “social media” impact the future tools? Will business return to what it once was? Will the foundation continue to crumble? And in the end, will we look back at something that we never really figured out and awake to find ourselves shaking our head?

I believe in what social media allows consumers and brands to do. I believe that it’s truly an added benefit to how we conduct business and interact with people. I believe it’s a valuable addition to brands that have solid business principles. However, I also believe that when we get so into something, when we become so emerged into one passion; we need to take a step back every once in a while.

The past few months have been a clear indication that maybe it’s time for me to take a step back. Quit being so entrenched into the online world. Maybe take a little vacation and recharge myself. Before you begin to regret the space.