There have been times where a detox from social media is absolutely necessary, but how will the movement of a digital detox affect the future of social media? I got to interview Alphonzo Terrell, director of digital and social marketing for HBO, about digital and social media marketers challenging the evolution of social media and the future of digital marketing.

First off, how did you start your career with HBO?

“I was hired to HBO a little over two years ago after working at a variety of media companies in the music and TV space. They initially brought me in to work on digital and social marketing for a wide range of programming – sports, docs, comedy specials, dramas and comedies. After about eight months, I was given the opportunity to lead the brand digital and social strategy and have been focused on that ever since. 

Is this a career you always saw yourself being part of when you were younger?

“In some ways yes, in some ways no. I always had a dream to lead culture at the highest level, but I initially thought that would manifest differently.  Music is my first love, and I was really focused on being a creative entrepreneur in that space during the early part of my career. What I didn’t anticipate was how much the tech/entrepreneurial space would resonate with me, so finding the intersection of where tech and culture meet has been a true blessing. Although HBO wasn’t originally a tech company in the traditional sense, we’ve been at the nexus of innovation and culture for a while now. I’m very fortunate to have a role that’s right at the center of that nexus.” 

Can you tell me a little bit about your perspective on how social media has evolved over the years?

“Like most of us who work in the space, it’s been pretty fascinating (and challenging) to see how quickly things change from moment to moment. Clayton Christenson – the Harvard prof who is credited with coining the term “disruptive innovation” – is famous for describing the arc of disruption beginning with an explosion of innovation in small markets that eventually catches on with the mainstream and displaces the establishment. With other industries, that process can take up to 50 years or more. With social media, it happened in less than a decade – which is bonkers. What’s more impressive is how quickly the mainstream is adopting new behaviors to keep up with it – and not just young folks.  3 billion people now use some form of social media globally.

With those past experiences, what do you expect to see in the future for it? 

“I think social media – as we define it today – is obviously maturing. The days of new, buzzy social platforms coming out every week seem to be over – the biggest platforms are now acting like other major corporations by buying emerging platforms to keep their audiences engaged. For this reason, I think Christensen’s principle applies even more – there’s probably something completely different brewing in the fringes that very few people are paying attention to that will disrupt the way we think about and use social media.” 

What is it that social and digital marketers like you need to consider when thinking about this change?

“I think we have to be flexible and be willing to disrupt ourselves to be competitive.  It’s really hard – especially when you have some success – to tear down your vision, your process and your definition of success and build all that up again from scratch, but I think that’s what we need to be willing to do if we really want to connect with people in an authentic way. That’s not to say there aren’t certain things that remain core to your fundamental identity, but too often we can become hostages to the imaginary rules we created.”

What are a few tips social and digital marketers could use to help prepare them for the future?

“Honestly, I don’t think “digital marketing” should exist in 5 years. It should just be called “marketing” – the digital and social part will be assumed, because how could you be a marketer without already understanding those channels? To that point, I think it’s essential for digital and social marketers to broaden their fluency in the traditional channels to be able to build holistic campaigns. Ultimately, the strongest campaigns can activate across all channels in a way that feels fresh and appropriate for the medium – like a conductor who has mastery over an entire orchestra. For the audience, they don’t necessarily care whether it’s the strings or woodwinds carrying the melody, they just know when they hear something they like. To me, marketing is the same thing.”

Have you been to SXSW before? If yes, are you excited about your return? If not, what do you expect to learn from this experience?

“Yeah, I’m a SX junkie at this point – 5 years straight and don’t plan to miss another one if I can help it. It’s a really unique gathering of people from so many different disciplines that I find really electrifying and enlightening. In recent years, I’ve made a lot of friends in the local Austin community – lots of young, diverse, brilliant people doing incredible things. I’m looking forward to checking in with them, as well as taking the opportunity to discover some incredible new experiences that I could’ve never anticipated. That’s the best part and the main reason I keep coming back.”

For more information, be sure to visit the panel on Sunday, March 10 at 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. in Fairmont Congressional B.