It’s that time again! Time for another asterisk-ridden diatribe on the state of the state in social media (for those of you who prefer asterisk-free diatribes, here’s a cleaner version)!

Except this year, we’re not merely asking “What the F**k is Social Media?” We’re asking “What the F**k is Social Media NOW?”

In 2008, when we published the original What the F**k is Social Media, the statistics were impressive and our message was clear: This is not a fad. It’s a revolution.

Two years later, the stats don’t just speak for themselves—they literally boggle the mind. Five hundred billion minutes per month spent on Facebook alone? My brain hurts just typing that number. Even the staunchest luddites out there can no longer deny that social media has become pretty darn ubiquitous. To emphasize this point, we asked a handful of super-smarties to contribute their interpretation of what social media is now, but we also want to hear from you.

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We may have mentioned this once or twice, but it’s worth saying it again: we at Espresso are acutely interested in understanding how consumer expectations are changing in step with evolving technology, demographic shifts, economic factors, and cultural phenomena—and helping our clients rise to the challenges that unfold along the way.

So begins our foray into the world of Drink 2.0, the second in a series of publications we are releasing in 2010, in which we examine the challenges and the opportunities facing businesses as digital and social technology dramatically alter the way people discover, experience, and share information.

For marketers, this shift is truly seismic. The unwritten rules of communication to which we’ve adhered for decades are being burnt to the ground, and from their ashes, a new model based on unprecedented openness is emerging. Words like “transparency,” “authenticity,” and “engagement” are replacing beloved turns of phrase like “on message,” and “on brand.” It’s quite possibly the most…

It’s no understatement that digital and social technologies have dramatically and permanently altered the music landscape. A decade ago, few in the industry foresaw the enormous shift that began with the introduction of simple file-sharing technology. Over the past ten years, MySpace, iPods, a slew of social networks, music blogs, and digital music retailers have all played their part in a radical shift that is continuing to transform the way fans discover, acquire, and experience music. This is truly a whole new kind of revolution.

As the marketing agency that coined the term brand infiltration™, Espresso is acutely interested in understanding how evolving technology, demographic shifts, economic factors, and cultural phenomena like those impacting the music industry are reshaping consumer expectations—and helping our clients rise to the challenges that unfold along the way.

For this reason, we’ve created Connect or Die, the first in a series of pieces intended to help marketers in various industries get a deeper understanding…