Good post, and so true on many levels.
I think it is also important to note that if you handle multiple social media accounts (i.e. you have a personal and you manage a brand's account) to make sure you are signed into the correct account when posting -as you say, many snafus have been made with simple mistakes or misunderstandings.

There is no question that social media is becoming more and more prevalent in society- with everything being connected, people want to feel as though they are connected to others, and share their thoughts with those that will listen. I actually came across this infographic (http://www.sociallystacked.com/2013/06/3404/) the other day that had a bunch of social media stats. With that many users, I don't see it going away.