Author Bujuanes Livermore
When mainstream media draws its stories and news from new media channels you know that traditional communication is changing. Whether it’s the ‘information age’, the ‘knowledge era’ or the ‘digital revolution’, we live in a time that affords us the ability to access, consume and produce information in an unprecedented way.
Once, articles on information and communication technologies (ICT) were reserved for the aspiring geek – correction - computer engineer. Today the discourse associated with platforms and technologies that have embedded themselves into our mode of existence is much larger than esoteric discussion on programming and code. The swift uptake of branded nouns such as facebook and twitter, not to mention new verb inventions including ‘unfriend’ and ‘retweet’ is demonstrative of the fact that society at large quickly adapts and is endeared to the online movement.
Irrespective of the buzz product or platform of the moment, technology has revolutionised the way in which people communicate. Audiences are now participants and they have been active in signalling to both the public and private sectors that they want change. The now united words ‘social media’ encapsulates the movement from monologue, one way communications to an all involved model. While the private sector ventured into the cyber-world for the sake of expanding virtual presence in the pursuit of profit, the public sector slowly took note of the conversations being had, and campaigns being run, in online communities that they needed to be involved in.
With those purposes in mind, how does the involvement of an individual, a consumer, a citizen of online culture differ to the involvement of an organisation? The negative reactions of online communities to marketing and communication blunders in the cyber world demonstrate the different expectations placed on organisations that decide to participate in social media. For example, what seemed like an intriguing “unravel the mystery” marketing idea for those involved with the Coca Cola ‘Zero’ campaign, was actually interpreted as misleading, lacking transparency, and therefore dubious, by the target audience.
Where an individual is at liberty to develop their understanding of social sites rather informally through personal experience, cues from networks and online resources, organisations require a more structured approach. The reasons are twofold: firstly the virtual spaces an organisation ventures into must be respected. This means the tones and rules established by communities of different social media outlets need to be understood, acknowledged and adhered to. Essentially it’s a shift of power in having to play by the community’s rules rather than imposing marketing strategies onto people - irrespective of their want for it. Secondly, whether tone or communication style is varied, the overall image of the business represented through various social networking platforms must be coordinated. In other words, the guiding values of any organisation must underpin the representation of that organisation in any channel it is involved in. Gone is the illusion of a lawlessness online world. Moral and ethical behaviours are expected of an organisation’s participation in any channel, by the vast majority. In the same way society, for the most part, is premised on its own form of self regulation, corporate responsibility that encompasses ethical standards and the promotion of public interest, needs to underpin practice in any digital form. A business model devoid of these considerations in its communication strategy is severely flawed for it is essentially detrimental to the public interest.
Traditionalist business leaders have taken some convincing as to the level of effectiveness of social media for both internal and external communications and engagement. Infact the term ‘social media’ is so misunderstood that it is more effective to omit the term altogether when presenting communication strategies which require delivery through digital mediums. Where the credibility of organisations was believed to have been a product of sophisticated advertising campaigns pre-internet, it appears that this era calls for a more personalised approach. And rightfully so. After all it is the citizens of communities that give purpose to the public sector, while consumers and clients are the bread and butter of the entrepreneur. As a communication device, online platforms bridge the once gulf between consumer and producer. It is this very point that is placing pressure on conventional public affairs, public relations and marketing team structures to rethink how they participate and coordinate communications while navigating technology. Indeed, the communication professional who is tech savvy is a valuable resource in today’s market. However, in many organisations, the social media professional is yet to be regarded with the same ranking — a curious anomaly considering the decline in traditional media readership.
To be fair, we are experiencing a time of change. The institutions serving society are experiencing unprecedented challenges in staying abreast of social and cultural transmogrifications. For the organisation that has the vision required to establish new organisational structures, and adapt, will successfully emerge with a new style of leadership.
Today’s pervasive technological devices have uncovered the clandestine and wily practices of multinationals. In doing so, these devices enabling information and communication flows have created a new social awareness. It is one in which organisations will need to be versed in the art of listening and correctly interpreting the communication being forwarded to them through all channels. The respect of, and practice in business ethics will be the lynchpin of success. And this is how it should have always been.
