The Streisand Effect on social media slip-ups

Today I saw a post put up by a political group in relation to events in the Middle East and the impact in the UK which caused a slight controversy. It shows how the tweet was dealt with, and the aftermath, which were far more interesting. The original tweet was either condemned and attacked or used to justify a change in position depending on what the persuasion was, and even my WhatsApp messages were on fire from all perspectives all having an opinion on the original tweet.

Screenshots of the post already were made and the post was either welcomed or criticised. I have not shared the tweet or named anyone as I don't feel that is right but wanted to shed light on how even though the post is no more the discussions and reactions to the original post have created even greater engagement, discussion, dialogue, and debate.

By deleting the post the damage has already been done to reputation and brand (I wouldn't say it was offensive or in breach of any legal issues, but just politically polarising, which is becoming the norm).

From a comms, brand, and reputation perspective the move to remove the post comes across as unprofessional, amateurish, and quite frankly very very poor. The discussion has now moved from "Have you seen this post" to "OMG, they have removed the post, how silly are they" This kind of panic behaviour can affect the reputation and brand even more

This form of action or naive action is called the Streisand Effect which is a term used as an unintended consequence of attempts to hide, remove, or censor information, where the effort instead backfires. This is named after the American singer and actress Barbra Streisand who sang some classics like 'What a Fool' and 'Don't Lie to Me, whose attempt to suppress the California Coastal Records Project's photograph of her cliff-top residence in Malibu, California, taken to document California coastal erosion, inadvertently drew greater attention to the photograph in 2003.

A few other examples of the Streisand Effect are:

In May 2009, the Israeli right-wing nationalist political party Yisrael Beiteinu tried to introduce a bill that would outlaw all commemorations of the expulsion of Palestinians following the "Nakba" (Catastrophe), with a three-year prison sentence for such acts of remembrance. The original bill did not pass, but the controversy surrounding it promoted knowledge of the 1948 Nakba.

In February 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India sought to ban a BBC documentary that was critical of him. The Central government banned it, took down all the links, and tried to scrub the video and its link from any place where it could be accessed. This led to people across India screening the documentary, which meant more people got to see something that was banned.

My favourite one was how in June 2012, Argyll and Bute Council in Scotland banned a nine-year-old primary school pupil from updating her blog, NeverSeconds, with photos of lunchtime meals served in the school's canteen. The blog, which was already popular, started receiving a large number of views due to the international media furor that followed the ban, showcasing the good and not-so-good variety of meals. Within days, the council reversed its decision under immense public pressure and scrutiny. After the reversal of the ban, the blog became more popular than it was before.

Just a few observations to ensure there are no slip-ups to create a Streisand Effect on a social media deletion of a post:

1. Check, check, and check: Before any public announcement is made - read it, observe it, consult it, and assess it before any post. (standard rules for all posts anyway).

2. Explain: Unless it is factually incorrect, goes against guidelines, a rogue post, or even something in bad taste, then don't just blindly remove the post. Explain why you have removed it, and if it has caused offence then apologise. Just removing it without explanation (especially if it is a politically charged issue) makes you come across as unorganised, weak, and falling under pressure.

3. Relevance and Context: Consider the context in which the post was made. If the controversy is related to a misunderstanding or miscommunication, it may be better to clarify or edit the post rather than delete it. In some cases, deleting a post can make it look like you are trying to hide something.

4. Chance to expand point: Controversial discussions can also be an opportunity for dialogue and learning. If you feel that the controversy can be addressed and resolved constructively, you might choose to keep the post, engage with commenters, and learn from the experience.

5. Don't delay: Don't have a delay between removing a post and adding a revised or new one, as that gap creates more noise and actually is detrimental to your organisation and brand. Timing matters. Sometimes, the best course of action is to acknowledge the controversy, apologise if necessary, and then decide on a course of action (edit, clarify, or delete the post).

Also consider the following, which I Don't think apply to all:

Platform Rules and Guidelines: First and foremost, check the rules and guidelines of the platform where you made the post. Different platforms have different policies regarding controversial content, hate speech, harassment, and more. If your post violates the platform's rules, it may be subject to removal by the platform administrators.

Legal Considerations: Ensure that your post does not violate any local, national, or international laws. If your content is potentially illegal, removing it might be a wise choice to avoid legal consequences.

Impact and Harm: Assess the potential harm or impact of the controversial post. If it's causing significant harm, distress, or harassment to others, removing it may be a responsible course of action.

But overall, be smart especially if operating in the political context, and understand that each action has a ramification, in this case, they made a massive faux pas and have come out of it worse off - Think and read before you post, and don't panic like a kebab when it goes all pear-shaped and as something I saw while writing this post as someone wrote: "You can delete your post, but you can't delete the screenshot I sent to my best friend," when incidents like these do occur one notices we have many best friends.

#Socialmedia #crisiscomms #comms #politicalcomms #coverups #socialmedia

#deletingposts