"That's Not What Your Girlfriend Says"

Ever since that great Snicker Super Bowl commercial (see below) featuring Betty White getting laid out, getting up and smack talking her teammate, there has been a huge social media push to get her to host Saturday Night Live.

It's interesting to see how social media can make people take notice. There is a Facebook fan page dedicated to having Betty White host SNL. As of a month ago, the page had well over 400,000 fans. Apparently, it has worked. Rumor has it, White will be on the show in the near future - though, it might not be hosting. It's still a huge win for fans of White and fans of social media.

What does this mean for social media?

Personally, I believe it means that while Facebook and social media aren't necessarily the number one motivator in effecting people's attitudes and behavior, it has opened the door for people to use social media to affect attitudes and behavior. The key here is that the show/person of influence has to be monitoring the social media for there to be a change. For example, SNL used to get tons and tons of mail regarding their shows - e.g., Sinead O'Connor ripping up a picture of the Pope (see at around 2:27 mark). Now, it seems that they are monitoring social media for what people are saying. The people of influence - SNL - are taking note and adapting their plan.

If White gets the hosting gig or makes an appearance and SNL receives a boost in ratings, who knows what that could mean for TV programming. Or the entertainment industry as a whole. Look what blogging and message boards did for "Snakes on a Plane." Or if in the near future, politicians can monitor social media and determine if certain actions based on what the people want. Wouldn't that be something?