Is Facebook failing us or are we failing Facebook?

First, let me get it out in the open that I strongly believe in the power of Facebook when it comes to branding, marketing and overall connection with friends and family. However, as I look back on this election season, I have to admit that I am torn over whether Facebook failed or whether it was our preconceived notion of our role as users that failed our entire social, political and religious belief system.

A majority of Facebook users interact with friends and family who hold the same set of political, social and religious beliefs as they do. A vast number of users will share links that correspond with these sets of beliefs; and most often with their security settings adjusted to share to friends and family only. Many of us make a conscious choice of who we share posts with. Having been the victim of internet trolls more times than I can count; I purposely decide on my audience before each and every post on Facebook. Is this selective posting process, under the guise of internet security, preventing the dissemination of important social, political and religious issues to a wider, more diverse audience?

Granted, Facebook is not the ultimate deciding factor in political elections, charitable donations or religious enlightenment.  However, are we shortchanging the issues we believe in through this avoidance of online confrontation with those who believe differently than we do? To those that put themselves out there without fear of confrontation, I commend you all.  As for myself and others, we have allowed ourselves to become so self conscious of how we are perceived by fellow Facebook users that we are failing, not only Facebook, but ourselves and our own belief systems.

Social Media's Role in Our Collective Conversations

Having recently attended a conference where the speakers focused primarily on women's role in politics, the biggest takeaway was the reassuring validation of a message I have been promoting for close to 2 years now - social media is an integral part of how we manage our interpersonal, business and political conversations. 

On the business and political side, when used properly, social media can be a critical enhancement. Used improperly, it can have a long lasting negative effect. From a marketing and, of course, a political standpoint, numbers (or followers) do matter. In the end, it is how the marketer analyzes those numbers and responds to them. More and more people are on the Internet via tablets, smart phones and laptops for their news and information. Less are likely to respond to print or television ads. They are more likely to share and comment on posts streaming on their Facebook, Twitter, and Google + feeds. A two way dialogue needs to be established and nurtured between the marketing or political campaigns and the potential supporter/donor or customer early on - sometimes before there is a declared candidate or an actual product/service in production. 

Our own interpersonal social media interactions are clearly more complex.  Over the years, I have had several people tell me both publicly and privately that social media is nothing but senseless fluff and of no consequence to our personal lives. On the surface, maybe it does come across as just another form of mindless entertainment. However, strip away the layers of Candy Crush posts, Bit Strip cartoon self portraits and, of course, the endless Grumpy cat images; every post we make, like or share is a reflection of who we are. The simple fact that you have clicked on the link to this post is an indication that you participate in social media in some form or another. All too often we come across posts, tweet, and images from online friends that may violate every rule of good taste that we had ingrained in our subconscious.  How we react online to such posts is a reflection of who we are and how we view the relationship we have with these friends.  The same holds true to how our friends react to our own posts.

We need to accept the fact that we are all part of a collective online conversation. The sooner we accept this, we can do away with the notion that social media is a passing fad and has no effect whatsoever on our lives.  

Social Media's Political Dialogue (or Lack Thereof)

Photo: Louis Lanzano  via Wikimedia Commons

As the government shutdown continues,both sides of the political spectrum are bombarding us with their “messages” and agendas on each and every social media platform.  Where is the outrage or the impassioned support?  Where are the mass rallies and protests?  

Granted, there have been posts and comments across the social media landscape favoring both sides of the issue; but where are the living breathing bodies taking it to the streets?  Having lived in both the pre and current Internet worlds, I'm not expecting to see reactions on par with the Civil Rights marches, the Vietnam protests, or even burning of bras. I am disappointed at what I haven’t seen.  There have been those who have tried to bring focus to this hot-button issue.  Unfortunately, they do not seem to have the same outpouring of support as the release of the latest movie trailer or preview of this week's episode of a popular reality show.

One theory, and trust me it is just a theory not based on facts and figures, is that a majority of those utilizing social media have not grasped how this affects them directly. I know it is simplistic; but, for whatever reason, society tends to focus on the issues perceived to either benefit or harm us on a personal level. Everything about the events over the last week affects every single one of us.  Too many seem to be going about their daily lives with either blinders on or the belief that their opinions do not matter in the grand scheme of things.

An extremely simplistic example would be to ask a random sampling their thoughts on yesterday’s baseball scores, how their favorite golfer did, or what did they think of the photo of Sally dancing on the table. Compare this sampling to their thoughts on the political juggernaut in Washington. I fear that Sally’s dancing photo would probably get more comments, likes and shares.

Many believe that politics has no place in social media. Tell that to the media establishment that has latched on to social media with gusto.  News reports and political analyses are posted on the Internet for a reason. Not only to build up viewership, but as an open invitation for commentary and discourse.  Even more significant is that the political parties have become more social media savvy.  They understand that our voices are necessary to both formulate a successful platform and disseminate it.  When we are silent, we do both them and ourselves a huge disservice.

As you scroll through your daily news feed and notifications; take a moment between the animal photos, the birthday wishes, status updates and the event invites.  Click on a post you normally would have ignored.  Don’t be afraid to post a comment on how you feel. Share the post with your friends and connections in your social media network. Engage them in conversation.  There will definitely be differences of opinion; that is to be expected and encouraged.  It will open up the possibility of learning that there may be a point of view that you never considered before.  While you do not have to agree with the differing opinions; you will having a clearer understanding of it.

Be more vocal when reading something you either agree or disagree with.  Find a way to take your thoughts and ideas back to streets; away from the computer and smartphone with their perceived sense of anonymity. If you are not comfortable with marching down Main Street carrying a sign and chanting, so be it.  It will take baby steps. For a difference to be made and for change to occur, there needs to be dialogue. Get the conversation going in both the real and virtual worlds.

Social Media's Role In Local Politics

The use of social media in the national and statewide political process has proven to be an important tool in both the election process and continued constituent communication. There have been more than enough articles published regarding the increased use of social media by our national elected officials and their surrogates.  They do a great job getting their messages out and engaging with their constituents. Maybe too great of a job. Their social media success brings to light how social media understanding is lacking on the local level. As we become more social media savvy; local candidates and elected officials do not seem to have fully embraced the true essence of social networking.  

The time honored traditions of press conferences, news releases, meet and greets and knocking on doors will always have their place in distributing the message. However, they should not be considered the only options.

Social media is more than just setting up a Facebook page or a Twitter account in order to post status updates and press releases.  Theoretically, that is what a website has been traditionally used for; and even that has been evolving over the last few years.  Social media should be looked at as a means to initiate a two-way dialogue with followers.  To engage them on the issues.  That is not to say that our news feeds are void of any updates on the local level. It is sporadic at best.  In terms of engagement with constituency and followers; however, it is at times nonexistent.   

We have social media contacts from many regions of the country, if not the world. A vast majority of us regularly share our views on local, national and global political topics with solely local connections. At one point, I was involved in four separate discussions on the hot button topic of the day. Each of those discussions involved four separate groups of people.  Though hard to keep track of the progress of each discussion, it was an exhilarating and intellectually stimulating experience. Unless our local politicians were mutual connections with those involved in the discussion, they remained clueless regarding the sentiments expressed.  In a perfect virtual world, it would have been nice to have these lively and insightful conversations on one central location where the voices of the participants would have been heard and responded by our local politicians and/or their surrogates. That is the true essence of social media.  

It is not as if we do not try to start conversations with them.  There are comments made on their Facebook and Twitter posts.  Very rarely are there responses or even a "Like".  Social media engagement needs to be viewed with the same importance as one would view constituent engagement at a fundraising event or while knocking on doors. First rule of thumb for every politician is to get to know your political base and constituency by engaging in a dialogue with them. Constituents want reassurance, even online, that their voices and opinions are being heard by those that represent them or hope to represent them.

The Equality of Social Media

This week, the nation (and the world, for that matter) turned its attention to the US Supreme Court as it heard arguments from both sides regarding marriage equality.  

When did we, as a society, become so desensitized to major political and social events?  With the presidential election behind us, we continue to be bombarded on all social media sites with  “messages” and agendas from every corner of the political spectrum.  We read posts and see memes ranging from the  “war” on women to the “fiscal cliff”.  Various versions of these same messages are being regurgitated and posted in infinite forms.  It has gotten to the point, I am afraid, that as a society we may have finally reached that point of desensitization that every social media marketer fears.

Then, again, have we?  A one point this week, my cellphone was overloaded with notifications of Facebook friends changing their profile pictures in support the Marriage Equality.  

Having lived my life in both the pre and current Internet worlds, I did not expect to see reactions to Facebook, Twitter or Google Plus posts similar to the Civil Rights marches, the Vietnam protests, or even the burning of the bras on the street; but I was pleasantly surprised at what I did see.  

In the past, there have been those who have tried to bring focus to hot-button social issues.  Unfortunately, they did not seem to have the same outpouring of support as the release of the latest movie trailer or preview of that week's episode of a popular reality show. This past week was encouraging in that the conversation remained positive with very little online debates or caterwauling.  The simple changing of the profile pictures to one of the various forms of the red and pink equal sign had a much wider influence than I believe was originally thought.  

In the past several days, there have been articles and blog posts written about this subject and I will not rehash the same opinions already expressed.  However, I will stress my hope that this appearance of acceptance and respect for the rights and opinions of those whom we may not normally agree with carries over to other political and social causes.  There will always be opposition to every cause; but what opposition I did see this week was expressed in a more civil and humane way than in the past.  

I realize there will be comments that the economy and politics have no place in social media.  Tell that to the “traditional” media establishment that has latched on to social media with gusto.  News reports and political analyses are posted on the Internet for a reason.  These posts build up viewership by openly inviting commentary.  Even more significant is that the political parties have become more social media savvy.  They understand that our voices are necessary to formulate a successful platform.  When we are silent, we do both them and ourselves a huge disservice.

One personal theory is that a majority of the American populace doesn't care. I know it is simplistic; but for whatever reason we have become a society that focuses on the issues that we “perceive” to affect us directly. Politically, in one way or another, everything affects every one of us.  An extremely simplistic example would be to ask a random sampling their thoughts on yesterday’s basketball scores, or how their favorite golfer did in the Master’s tournament, or what did they think of the photo just posted of Sally dancing on the table. Compare it to their thoughts on the state of our economy or the agendas of our political parties or even North Korea's nuclear threats.  I am afraid that Sally’s dancing photo would probably get more comments, or at least likes.

Do yourself a favor; the next time you scroll through your daily news feed and notifications, take a moment between the animal photos, the birthday wishes, status updates and the event invites.  Click on a post you normally would have ignored.  Don’t be afraid to post a comment on how you really feel.  Share the post with your friends and connections in your social media network.  Engage them in conversation.  There will definitely be differences of opinion; that is to be expected..  However, it will open up the possibility of learning that there may be a point of view that you never considered before.

We need to be more vocal when we read something we either agree or disagree with.  We also need to find a way to take our thoughts and ideas back to streets; away from the computer and perceived sense of anonymity. If you are not comfortable with marching down Main Street carrying a sign and chanting, so be it.  It will take baby steps.  For a difference to be made and for change to occur, there needs to be civil dialogue. That dialogue must start with us.

Has the Internet & Social Media Made Us More Gullible?

The above image and similar facsimiles made their way around the social media sites this week.  They traveled the internet highway faster than the Delorean in the referenced movie.  Unfortunately, the cinematic facts were wrong.  Marty McFly actually transported to October 21, 2015.


This does illustrate how gullible we have become with regard to what we see and read on the internet.  Granted, this image and many others like it are not life shattering in any way.  However, due to our increased sense of taking everything for face value, there are many more misconceptions being shared across the world wide web which could have a dramatic effect on us - socially, politically, environmentally and economically.


So before you click on that share or retweet button, make sure the facts are correct.  Do a little research on the issue.  Your clicking finger could probably use the rest anyway.

Print Journalism's Survival In the Social Media Age

The key to a successfully run newspaper is the content.  It is the driving force behind the readership numbers.  If these numbers are up, the publisher is happy; the advertisers are happy and above all else the readers are happy.  Having the wherewithal to anticipate the readers’ interests in a subject and then to report on it in a professional manner is a fundamental component of journalism.

In this age of social media, newspapers have lost some of their edge with regard to landing the “scoop”.  Many times, the subject is being discussed on the social media sites before the newsprint is dry.  A newspaper is best served when it utilizes the skills of the professional journalist in conjunction someone who has both the ability to follow the trends on social media sites and is familiar with the area it serves and its demographic base. By utilizing a teamwork approach as a management style, the work product tends to be of a better quality since everyone has had a hand in its creation.

A newspaper's staff must have a thorough understanding of economy’s effects on both local businesses and the residents.  They must realize the difficulties facing our education institutions and the effect they have on the residents.  In the instances where the newspaper is considered a local publication as opposed to a national one such as The New York Times or Wall Street Journal, the editorial board needs to recognize which political subjects are relevant in terms of newsworthiness.  Simply because a national political story is trending on the social media sites, does not mean that the newspaper needs to focus all their resources on that topic; unless it is able to relate it to how the event effects the local demographic.

Social media has created competition between all news sources and, in its quest for survival, print journalism has had to join in the fracas.  It needs to rethink its management style and the way it presents itself to the community it serves.  If it doesn't adjust to the changing times, it will only alienate it current readership and lose out on the potential of many more.

Update:  Since the original publication of this post on May 8, 2012, a lot has transpired in the world of print journalism.  Many newspapers have gone through a dramatic shift in how they engage with their readership both in print and online. Many papers have transformed their online sites into multimedia sites with the addition of accompanying videos. There has been an increase in the frequency of posts on the various social media platforms which affords their fans a greater opportunity for engagement. From all appearances, there does seem to have been an increase in fan comments. Unfortunately, this increase in engagement continues to seem one sided. Whether it be on Facebook, Google Plus and, even, Twitter, the newspaper sites are still lacking on their part in responding the reader comments.  Even more disconcerting is the fact that we have seen many experienced journalists lose their jobs all in the name of cutting operating costs.  In my opinion, that is tantamount to a dairy farmer getting rid of his cows so he can save a few bucks. Once the farmer resorts to such drastic cost cutting measures, is he still considered a dairy farmer? The experienced journalist - whether it be print, broadcast, or online - is the one asset a news organization must never let go of. Is the loss of experienced journalists the last gasping breath of the newspaper industry?