Social media consultant and strategist (not a guru!) Erik Qualman has always taken a step back to look at some of the wider implications of the world's deep dive into social media.
The former-Travelzoo executive is an evangelist for social media, of course, but in this TEDx presentation he asks what happens over time to all that activity users create when they snap and post pictures, contribute other content to social networks and generally engage with other people.
From an industry perspective, the same goes for brands and the footprint (or "digital shadow", as Qualman calls it) leave behind.
Here is the clip (worth a watch):
NB:Cocktail umbrella shadow image via Shutterstock.