EDITORIAL: Beware social media usage

Whether one likes, hates or is indifferent to it, social media is here to stay. With the popularity of smartphones and a greater degree of comfort with technology, Barbadians of all ages constantly share humorous, inspirational and informative posts. Once in a while, however, a post becomes viral and spreads rapidly, as proven by recent happenings.

 

One local video recently made the rounds and while most found the incident funny, reports indicate that the young lady in the video lost her job. This development creates several pertinent talking points on the dynamics of social media usage and employer disciplinary methods that will resonate into the future. However, it is safe to say this outcome is hardly isolated; in larger countries, others have lost their livelihood due to posted messages or actions taken, particularly if there was a strong backlash from online users; in some of those cases, the former employees have challenged the decision in court. It appears therefore that some employers are not taking kindly to their company’s push – however indirect – into controversial waters and, as several cases indicate, where that visibility has been magnified they part ways with that employee. The same is true of popular figures such as athletes or celebrities who are endorsed by companies, only for the contractual endorsement to be terminated if the public figure is involved in an embarrassing issue, such as Ryan Lochte’s Olympic scandal.

 

Expectation of behaviour therefore is not always guaranteed in reality. What some social media practitioners have not fully grasped is that multimedia messages have a significant impact, both positive and negative, and should therefore be handled with great care. This is a lesson that applies to businesses as well. Communication with patrons is important, but some comments can cause quite a stir as demonstrated by some local employers on Facebook during the passage of Tropical Storm Matthew.  

 

Incidents like these give insight into the areas of employment and business that are not always understood. How far does an employee’s actions reflect on the company for which he/she works, particularly when he/she is distinguished by uniform? How can a company fulfil its social media obligations without falling into pitfalls? While dialogue, internal policy and contractual agreements will clear up most matters, it simply means that both parties must take greater care in communicating expected behaviour and in managing their public image and interactions. What is also pertinent, particularly for young people, is education on social media sensitivity, because it is clear that when something is posted online – even in a small forum – it can be copied, shared, prone to going viral, and impossible to contain or recall, which may cause some unwanted notoriety. 

 

What this and other such instances remind us is that cyberspace interactions are becoming increasingly pertinent in this country. There are more cell phones than persons in Barbados, which means that as a result of their ubiquity, the potential exists for other viral posts that may be controversial. As we continue to navigate technological interactions, therefore, we would be well advised to be more cautious when exercising this 21st century freedom.