Technology in Today's World

by Brad Walker

Courtesy of thebalancesmb.com

We see postings of social media not only every single day but every single minute. People are tweeting, Facebooking or posting on YouTube more than ever in today's world. Whether it be content that is supposed to make us laugh, trying to persuade us into buying something or even something as simple as influencing our political view.

All of the things combined can create trouble when it comes to knowing who to trust. It is so crucial that in today's world we not only look at something but truly read what it says. Social media influencers are now required to say if a certain post is sponsored or not.

A prime example of why this is the case is because of an event known as the "Fyre Festival." This was a major concert event that was posted all over social media. According to Forbes.com, the fest was able to reach new heights when it came to its potential because of social media. This, in turn, leads to the eventual fallout of the event after fest-goers got there to see it was not even a quarter of what they expected.

Now when it comes to a Public Relations side, this would be an absolute nightmare. How does one recover from such a backlash like Fyre Festival? The company ran out of money, so they could not refund anyone for their tickets or try to start up a new fest.

This is why it is crucial that a PR team is on the case no matter what company there is.

They have to be the ones to always fact checks every matter and is ready to speak when something comes their way. The 'no comment' idea is never one that should be used in a Public Relations setting. Unless there is absolutely nothing else to say, then that would be appropriate, but when you use this terminology, people automatically will think negatively about the issue at hand.

An example would be the recent happenings with the Houston Astros. They had an issue that one of their front office members yelled out inappropriate comments to female reporters and they immediately denied the claim according to thebiglead.com.

This would be the opposite of what you are trying to do and the Astros should have taken to social media to apologize for what their member said.

Social media can be a pivotal place that a company can not necessarily gain back all of their followers or trust, but they can most certainly be as transparent about the matter. The two cases above are excellent
examples of the issue and should be something that not only consumers, but companies look at moving forward.