Can Social Media actually be a tactic?

In one of Seth Godin’s blog, he talks about how Social Media is only a symptom and not exactly a tactic. I generally agree with most of what Seth Godin says and he has a fantastic example to support this claim,

The Mona Lisa has a huge social media presence. Her picture is everywhere. But she doesn’t tweet. She’s big on social media because she’s an icon, but she’s not an icon because she’s big on social media.

I am part of the team that manages Dr. Rahat Indori’s online presence and one thing we realized quite early was the fact that Dr. Rahat Indori is a legend shayar in the offline World and doesn’t necessarily need social media tactics to succeed further in his profession. But social media did give an extension to his fanbase. There are people who might have never been to a mushaira all their life but are still ardent followers on his facebook and twitter. Thousands discovered him for the first time on their mobile phones and not in a live crowd.

This is where Seth is totally right in saying,

When your ideas are spreading, when your work is remarkable, when your organization has built a social ratchet that works, one of the side effects will be a significant social media presence. People will talk about you in ways that they like to talk… online.

But then there are people who are 100% Social Media made. Who is PewDiePie without YouTube? He doesn’t act in movies nor is he a lead singer in some band. And there are unlimited such examples of people and brands that are exclusively Social Media made.

Social Media can give you wings. Introduce you to audiences you never had access to. Open doors for opportunities that you never thought of. But the condition that Seth mentioned about offline holds true for online too – Your work has to be remarkable.

What’s your take on this?