Yesterday reading Undercurrent’s latest post, “How Brands are Killing Facebook”, Jim Babb presented an interesting take on the anatomy of a Like and how that simple act of Liking become tainted when brands are added to the mix. Babb sums it up best, stating:  Gated Likes ultimately devalue Likes for all. Even if you avoid erecting a Like-Wall, each time someone else bribes users to Like their page the act of Liking and receiving updates from a brand becomes less meaningful. Sadly, there is not much to be done to avoid others polluting the pool Babb makes an importan observation, pointing out the contrived nature of the Gated Like, the lack of feeling and meaning behind it, but this is indicative of a bigger problem with brands on social networks. The more brands on a social network, the less meaning that network will have for the user.  Brands want to build relationships with their customers on social networks, communicating with them in the same way as a friend, but they are not friends. These social networks meet a basic need for us; they serve our basic human need for social interaction. But it is more than simply meeting a need; there is a meaning to these networks.  I’ve been getting back to my sociology roots lately, researching the derivation of meaning from everyday interactions, especially in relation to social networks. These social networks have become a core part of our identity becuase they connect us to others. They provide platforms for interaction, which creates more meaning. Facebook, Twitter, Path, name your pick, they become part of our holistic individual identities and when a Brand encroaches on that identity, it forces us to call our identities into question because it forces us to reevaluate the meaning of the networks we’ve created on these sites.  As a Marketer, I agree that Brands need to build better emotional relationships with their customers, but I am curious if they realize that by entering these deeply personal arenas, the impact they are having on users. Will this create a long-term, loyal customer-vendor relationship or does it create something far less meaningful? Brands need to create meaning for their customers, but that will take more than a fan page or a sponsored tweet.