Culture, art, fashion, you name it, New York probably got there first.

However, if a recent blog post on New York Time Out is anything to go by, some NYC businesses could be doing themselves harm in the quest for hipness.

The conceit of Sharon Steel’s article is that social media is starting to detract from the experience of living and, to a certain extent, that’s certainly true. Without wishing to sound like my Dad, it seems almost impossible to attend an event at which there isn’t at least one person who watches the whole thing through their mobile phone screen as they record it for posterity. However, the blog also revealed a growing trend for banning the use of social networking tools in places like restaurants and night clubs, which is frankly baffling. Yes, it’s not to everyone’s taste, yes it can be annoying but prohibiting its use is like opting out of free advertising. If you’re organising an event, the only time you don’t want people talking about it is if it’s a fight club. The blog even goes so far as to suggest that people will start living through social media, rather than experiencing things themselves. The same could be said for TV, but huge sums are still spent buying ad time and that hasn’t done anyone any harm. Social media isn’t vital for all businesses, some are lucky enough to have a reputation that transcends such issues. However, for the rest of them ignoring the benefits of digital word of mouth advertising seems deeply foolish.

Charlotte is chief whip when it comes to making sure words are in order at ICS-digital. You can get in touch with her directly at charlotte.green@ics-digital.com