On Social Media Day, Here’s How Not To Cook Your Goose In This New Age Fire!

Today, June 30, is #SocialMediaDay . No, it isn’t a UN recognized day, but it is being observed globally nevertheless. June 30 was commemorated as Social Media Day for the first time in 2010 by the entertainment, digital media and communication company Mashable and has been gaining prominence ever since. On its website Mashable writes today, “On June 30, 2010, Mashable launched Social Media Day as a way to recognize and celebrate social media’s impact on global communication. Today, social media is the heart of global communication; and since its inception, Mashable’s been using social media to connect between cultures, movements and super-fandom.” All of it is fairly incontestable; one may bat, however, for the email as the heart as well as the soul of global communication, but we will let that argument lie.

The growing prominence of the day may be gauged from the fact that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter to post an evocative message for the day saying that the “.. world of social media has played a key role in democratizing our discourse and giving a platform to millions of people around the world to express their views and showcase their creativity.” Many other prominent people from the country and abroad have hailed the power of social media, exemplified by the reach and connectivity of institutions like Facebook (2.2 billion users), Youtube (1.5 billion), WhatsApp (1.5), Instagram (800 million). Some of my favorite #SM sites command lesser numbers, but are insignificant by no means. Twitter is at 330 million, LinkedIn at slightly over 500 million. These numbers are breathtaking!

So is SMs ability to connect people from around the world, showcase thought and creativity, and spark conversations and opportunities. They are phenomenal means of communication and empowerment. And, every modern professional must take advantage of them. But, we must also recognize the hyperbole. Some comments today say SM are the ‘ultimate equalizer’, the ‘fourth pillar of democracy’ and give a ‘voice to anyone willing to engage’. Yeah, right! The only thing you need is an internet connection and be web-savvy. 50% of the world’s population has no access to the Internet, where the major language is English. So, the Internet, the World Wide Web and Social Media are still power and privilege games.

Among the privileged are those belonging to modern organizations; the corporations, governments, non-profits, academia and other communities that make the Earth travel around the Sun. So, what are some of the things about SM that the professional needs to bear in mind while shooting off that post or blog or tweet. Here are my top three:

1.      "Privacy is dead, and social media hold the smoking gun”: That’s not me, it’s Pete Cashmore actually, the Founder-CEO of Mashable. Yes, the self-same guys behind Social Media Day. And, he is bang on target, an irritating quality of smoking guns. That statement is the SM equivalent of the law-enforcement litany, “you have the right to keep quiet. Anything that you say can be held against you.” There is nothing which can be construed as personal on social media, disclaimers notwithstanding. It is, after all, called 'social' and in the media context, it is the same as public. When you put anything on social media be prepared to be judged by a public larger than you had bargained for; social media amplifies every single word you write through retweets/shares/notifications. Organizations and stakeholders can take cognizance of your content and are within their rights to act if it affects business or credibility or reputation, as happened recently in the case of an unfortunate celebrity chef in Dubai. He tweeted a prejudiced rant directed at a movie star with an egregious error to boot and paid the price. None of his subsequent hand-wringing that he was carried away by the ‘heat of the moment’ saved him. His goose was cooked!

2.      There’s a special place in hell for the troll: By now for sure Horntail would have cleared a special place in his scorched nether-world for the social media troll, the singular pest which preys on SM posts with abuse and vile feelings to express disagreement with its content and author. It often leaves the author feeling both violated and helpless. For a professional to be seen as capable of such savagery would most likely tarnish her/his career beyond repair. Of course there will be difference of views and of course it can be expressed. Just do it with the same civility that you would within the portals of your organization. (Psst.: ‘Horntail’ is a pun on that Harry Potter series character Wormtail, who was evil as evil can be. Am sure you have figured out who or what 'Horntail' is!)

3.      When you log in, make sure your ego logs out: The ego with all its prejudices: political, religious, gender, racial, rich vs. poor, urban vs rural, marketing vs. finance, the boss. It is deeply satisfying to let off all that steam on social media, to shrilly declare how superior your views are and how inhuman is the opposite party. It makes you feel good, superior, God. Even if you are on the right side, the right cause, shrill holier-than-thou criticism will cause offence. The SM policy of no company allows it.

The word (world?) might have been trumped to death, but social media is a real great enabler. I find professionals on SM writing, posting and sharing rich content. I learn more from Social Media these days, with its contemporariness and brevity. There is certainly a grand plan at work, to bring the world closer and technology is paving the way. More the reason why one should be mindful of these few simple dos and donts.

One has to be careful that a post or tweet should not offend a 'customer', especially if one is a professional, working in an organization. That is the very minimum limit that we have to exercise. If our organization and its image is put at risk through our tweet or post, then it will be dealt with as in any disciplinary infraction.Period. Political, divisive, inflammatory, angry posts should be avoided altogether. We owe it to ourselves and to the world to keep social media clean, free, fearless and dignified. That should be our pledge this #SMDay !

Twitter : @WorkSutra | Instagram: @simantamohanty

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