It can be scary out there sometimes. So many millions of people hustling, shouting and pushing their way to the top of whatever community or industry habitat they live in. Social media can be a ruthless place, where your time and motivation can be stolen away by the sheer density and intensity of the environment.
And we all play a part in that food chain of winners and losers. Whether we choose to acknowledge it or not, we are either a predator or prey in the social media world. We rise to the top, or we sink to the bottom, and the path is not always clear.
Social media prey are the people who let their presence get fat, slow and lazy, expecting their reach and influence to grow on its own. The prey live timidly on the edges of communities and conversations, not quite sure who/when/where or even why to get involved. They are always looking for the "huge break" that will never come, and eventually become hobbled by a web of frustration and intimidation.
That's when the predators swoop in...
A social media predator is someone who hones their skills and senses to constantly feed their social evolution. They are always searching for new communities to join, people to connect with and value to create and/or share. The predator adopts an objective and critical approach to his/her presence, making sure he is always in the best position to leverage the potentials of social media and avoid the pitfalls.
The only difference between the social media jungle and the real jungle is that in social media we aren't limited by our genetic predispositions. If you want to be a predator, you can be. Where we end up in the social media hierarchy is up to us; our own motivation, dedication and hustle.