Sarah Holt
sh398506@ohio.edu
Is It That Simple?
It's almost like saying, well just don't trip...ever. Even if you are walking down a steep incline made of metal with sticks of butter attached to your feet--just don't trip. That's the way social media can be. "Be cautious," may be a better phrase. Or perhaps, "always be alert." Because in such uncharted territory, stupidity is in the eye of the beholder. And, something can only be deemed stupid after it has been tested and tried and then subsequently failed.
I'm sure the teacher that friended his students didn't think he was being stupid. I'm also sure that the reporter that live-tweeted a court case and misspelled a name or messed up fact didn't think he/she was being stupid. It's not until after these mistakes are made that we know what not to do. Therefore I firmly believe that the guidelines set in place by organizations such as RTDNA serve a purpose. These guidelines were made from others mistakes--and they are mistakes that hopefully won't be made again.
Social Media Flexes Its Muscles
Social media is such a powerful tool. One wrong step can land a news station, a company or a public figure on the wrong side of the public perception. Therefore just saying, "don't be stupid," just doesn't cut it. Let's use a specific example of the power of social media. We news people know all about the Egyptian revolution and perhaps we may even be savvy enough to know about the hashtag #jan25 (marking the day that the revolution started), but do we know just how many times it has been used?
Above is a map of every tweet with the hashtag #jan25 on February 11th, the day Mubarak resigned. That is one single days worth of tweets containing only one hashtag. We Have to Be Careful
With that kind of power in one single social media outlet, our criteria has to go so much further than "don't be stupid." It's an important tool that gives so much power. And we all know how the saying goes, "with great power, comes great responsibility."
No comments:
Post a Comment