Seth Godin has been writing lately about social media and its downsides — mainly, that it distracts you, sidetracks you,  from your core business goals.

This got me thinking about all the social media outreach happening right now within the consumer electronics industry.

Manufacturers are implementing Twitter-based customer support operations, and spending on Facebook ads.

As I browsed through the new 2010 edition of PR Week’s Press and Public Relations Handbook, it was hard to miss the sheer number of companies promoting their social media emphasis. Which means PR firms are being hired to help create, align and integrate social media outreach to consumers.

I reserve the right to change my mind on this one day, but right now, today, social media has little to no effect on consumer technology purchasing decisions. Sorry, but mom and dad aren’t reading your tweets. (Fellow marketers are. Tens of thousands of self-proclaimed social media experts are. Thousands of people can teach you to be rich fast are.) And I’d be stunned if a critical mass of middle-aged consumers are clicking on your Facebook ads.

Do you really think today’s mainstream consumer will somehow decide between a Panasonic, Samsung or Vizio HDTV because of something he read from one of those companies on Twitter?

Here’s what has far more effect on consumer purchasing behavior than your social media outreach:

• Powerful, effective easy-to-understand language.
• Positive consumer reviews on sites like Amazon and CNet.
• Positive reviews from technology critics in the mainstream media (yes, they’re still read far more than your tweets).
• Passionate fellow consumers — that is, passionate peers. Word of mouth.
• Good marketing.

Attain the above, and sales will go up dramatically. Attain a lot of Tweets, or even followers, and, probably, nothing much will happen.