Distasteful? Maybe. Ineffective? Quite probably (considering the decision makers who are buying a Social Media tool are often Social Media Managers). However, if you're going to be as uncomfortable with software eliminating certain job categories and putting people out of work as the OP claims they are, you probably shouldn't be working in technology.
Salesforce (a company specifically mentioned by OP) certainly didn't aim to put salespeople out of business. It did, however, greatly reduce the need for assistants and secretaries that used to be instrumental in keeping salespeople organized, thus eliminating many such positions. Mailchimp (another company mentioned) certainly created some new email marketing positions, but in the process it helped optimize email-use, which is itself a kind of optimization of traditional mail. Thus one could reasonably argue that Mail Chimp helps put people in the paper industry and in the Postal industry out of work.
Salesforce (a company specifically mentioned by OP) certainly didn't aim to put salespeople out of business. It did, however, greatly reduce the need for assistants and secretaries that used to be instrumental in keeping salespeople organized, thus eliminating many such positions. Mailchimp (another company mentioned) certainly created some new email marketing positions, but in the process it helped optimize email-use, which is itself a kind of optimization of traditional mail. Thus one could reasonably argue that Mail Chimp helps put people in the paper industry and in the Postal industry out of work.