• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, March 11, 2019

I’m all for socialism. You know, being social -- especially while watching TV with a group of friends and family.

Oh, wait... you say that’s not socialism. But what about social media? If you are an avid user of social media and like people, maybe you are a “socialist.”

Of course, in political governmental circles, “socialism” can sometimes be a loaded word. For some, it means “equality” -- from a 2018 Gallup poll by way of MSNBC -- where 23% of people define socialism that way -- up from 12% in 1949. For others, it means “government control,” with 17% citing this. (The percentage was 34% in 1949).

(Mitch McConnell used the word about a proposal to make Election Day a national holiday. Apparently, he is suspicious of any action that would encourage Americans to vote.)

But that’s not all. For some, socialism in 2018 means “being social,” which registered a whopping 6% of those surveyed. We have no results for this association for 1949.

Media can also offer confusing definitions -- for example, “media disruption,” which might really mean the destruction of businesses. In reality, many would say it’s just about finding new technologies to grow business, which would seems less of a threat.

Remember when non-scripted TV shows were called “reality”? In fact, those shows continue to be set, produced and constructed in far from real-world circumstances.

We now have show runners using the word “casting” when it comes to participants of these shows. Perhaps someone took notice: Now we have “alternative” programming as a moniker.

From a TV business-sense, what about “ratings”? Define that as a current-day value. More importantly, define the next key TV-advertising business phrase when it comes to advertisers' needs and focus: “business outcomes.”

Is this a general, somewhat vague phrase or something more specific? Right now, it means linking TV advertising media investments to a number of areas, such as visits to a marketer's website, actual foot traffic to their stories, or the higher goal standard -- actual sales.

But this can be complicated.

How much should be “attributed” to one linear TV network schedule or a possible digital media buy? And how much overlap? And if one of these channels is lacking, which ones are responsible and which should offer “makegoods” inventory or other compensation?

Business outcomes are poised to be a fuzzier term than TV ratings. But it seems TV and business are friendly as well, and also very social.