By Kristin Davie, a recent college graduate who is writing about her job search efforts for WWDS

The past six months have seen an unprecedented rise in social media adoption.  Companies are scrambling to create Facebook pages and no mainstream news medium is without a Twitter account.  Despite the state of the economy, companies are promising upwards of a 50% increase in social media spending.

It seems that no matter what the profession, a basic understanding of social media has become necessary.  While mentioning Twitter, Flickr, Youtube and Hulu to my grandmother may convince her of my fluency in another language, the same can’t be said of recruiters and potential employers who appreciate candidates abreast of the trends.

I’ve been freakishly obsessed an avid proponent of social media, especially in my job search efforts, and I’ve always encouraged my peers to turn to the unorthodox methods social media can sometimes provide.  Recently, however, I’ve begun to wonder whether social media has begun to erode my generation’s social skills, and which technique is ultimately better suited to landing that coveted job.

An article on Mashable cites a San Diego State University study which suggests that Generation Y believes that they use “social networking sites for self-promotion, narcissism and attention seeking.”  Considering the average college student in 2006 has become 30% more narcissistic than in 1982, that seems about right.

Not so fast, though!

According to the same SDSU study, 40% of those Gen Y-ers polled also believe that the “self-promotion, narcissism and attention seeking” behaviors social media provokes are necessary (what can I say, we’re a strange people).  No doubt, social media is used for self-promotion, but to use it capitalistically is to use it correctly, especially when the brand you’re promoting is yourself.

Still, as I begin another month as an unemployed college graduate, I can’t help but to wonder what my personal brand is worth and whether traditional social networking or social media is better suited to capitalize on it.  Twitter is said to eventually be valued at $1 billion, but does my generation run the risk of cementing our reputation?  How can job seekers achieve a balance between social media and remaining social?