"...After seeing hundreds of stories and reading thousands of comments, you've made it clear. You'd rather see Digg go down fighting than bow down to a bigger company."
Groundswell p.6
From the beginning, Groundswell shows us how important the truth is to social media users. The example of Kevin Rose, creator of Digg, powerfully demonstrates the corporate-fighting, honesty-seeking nature of the groundswell. It also shows us the benefits of addressing social media issues honestly rather than working behind the scenes to cover up scandal. By posting in a truthful, unfiltered way, Rose created a dialog. This dialog generated support and sparked new conversation- where as persisting with a cover up would have led to further prodding and criticism from the groundswell.
There is a ferocity with which social media users threaten institutional power and attempt to expose the reality of corporations. As Rose showed us, corporate powers can gain trust and change opinions of social media users through candidness which creates a bond within the groundswell.
However, despite all proof that the groundswell values the truth, I see a disconnect between this value and the practice of constantly contriving, editing, and filtering content obsessively. On page 61, Groundswell briefly mentions the validation impulse which I believe is partially responsible for these pressures felt by content producers (note the case of ex-Instagram model Essena O'Neil.)
But more so than the desire for validation, I believe that it is the idea of "no going back" (p. 74) that frightens corporations as well as individuals into overworking content. No going back can apply to a single post or to an entire strategy. But essentially what it means is that once you post, you can't make your audience un-see something. Each post has the potential to change the way you are perceived by your audience and that is an incredible pressure to take on.
This desire to not misstep is what leads creators to overthink or overdo. People and companies feel the need to present wittier, more beautiful, more unique content in order to capture the groundswell. Because of this they forget the underlying importance of honesty, truthfulness and simple connections.We see this phenomenon at work in the pubclic's response to a Red Lobster's tweet which recognized a shout out in Beyonce's newest release.
Their response was late, tried too hard and lacked creativity. Red Lobster's social media team likely fell prey to the pressures of "no going back" and the desire for validation in trying to please Beyonce's fans with a clever response. The groundswell was left wishing Red Lobster had just stuck to basics by thanking the artist.
Here's hoping that they stick to the basics of the groundswell (truth, connection, etc.) in repairing their social media image.
I watched the superbowl and the halftime show and missed the red lobster mention all together...guess I am slow on the uptake. But reading your blog was great because I linked to the tweets, understood the uproar and thought you did a nice job sending me to look into it more closely!
ReplyDeleteWhen I was researching Oreo as a case study, one of things that was the Fast Company article pointed out was the the typical process of creatives working on a campaign and the multiple levels of approval needed, which often resulted in blah marketing through consensus or that creatives didn't even try to propose innovative ideas because they know they would get shot down. Oreo had to change its corporate culture to empower creatives and allow them to act quickly with less layers of approval.
ReplyDeleteIn this situation with Red Lobster, I wonder if it's a bit of "damned if you, damned if you don't". If they had responded quickly with some that was lame, they probably would have gotten shot down by critics. Responding quickly can also cause issues... How many times have you regretted things you said without thinking through how it might be interpreted? It seems like they took the time to attempt something witty, but ended up missing the mark.
Are audiences being unrealistic when they expect instant responses (which also entertain)? Or does it tie back to having a conversation where some people are just wittier?
I like your point about the validation impulse and highlighting recent examples of successful content producers who can't manage the pressure of it and acknowledge the inauthenticity of much of it. In addition, I think that is reinforces by your point about Red Lobster. I do think some times messages can get lost in the desire to be engaging or prompt. We also see many social media accounts of major brands and organizations not only failing their target audience or to promote their product well but they also tweet or post something offensive.
ReplyDeleteI love your point about corporate powers can gain trust and change opinions of social media users through connection with groundswell. That is absolutely right. Although it is important for companies to capture their audiences' interests and attention; however, the importance of honesty, truthfulness and simple connections should also be noticed.
ReplyDeleteSince we are living in a information era, people love to be critical about different information. In order to have a good reputation or image, companies may adopt some public relations strategies to cover their mistakes or problems. But most importantly, companies should never forget to uphold principals and never lie to their customers.