Facebook… or Social Media, to take a
broader classification. While this article is focused on Facebook, it will also
deal with overall Social Media and its risks and advantages in a more general
manner. The immediate trigger for this article has been a rather uncomfortable
article in some Media, which I happened to read in a very respected Pink Newspaper,
a leading daily. The Bloomberg link of that article is to be found in the below
Box, with the given link.
Zuckerberg’s social network is a politically
agnostic tool for its more than 2 billion users, he has said. But Facebook, it
turns out, is no bystander in global politics. What he hasn’t said is that his
company actively works with political parties and leaders including those who
use the platform to stifle opposition—sometimes with the aid of “troll armies”
that spread misinformation and extremist ideologies.
The initiative is run by a little-known Facebook
global government and politics team that’s neutral in that it works with nearly
anyone seeking or securing power. The unit is led from Washington by Katie
Harbath, a former Republican digital strategist who worked on former New York
Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s 2008 presidential campaign. Since Facebook hired Harbath
three years later, her team has traveled the globe helping political clients
use the company’s powerful digital tools.
EXAMPLES
The article goes on into some more
ucomfortable titbits, detailing Online campaigns on Politics / Elections where
apparently Facebook unit helped develop campaigns of Trump, Narendra Modi,
Rodrigo Duerte {Philippines} and most disturbingly the AfD – an anti-immigration
party in Germany – and many many other political examples, the general trend
from which is apparent insofaras the article above is concerned. Let us not go
into the right or left wing aspects; that is not relevant to me as of now. The
point is the clear overt alliance of an organization with political parties,
and its broader ramifications. ,
THE CONTENTION ANALYSED
The contention that all organisations
donate to and ally with Political Parties does not apply to Media in general.
Already we are seeing what I call alliances or tilt of Media outlets towards one
or the other wing; judging from public responses and my personal judgement. The
new age Medium, Social Media, had the answer to this trend, where we could be
relatively independent of these pulls and pressures, and could be harnessed in
a positive manner. Wishful thinking, as it turns out. For a Media house so invasive
and so ubiquitous as Facebook, an arms-length distance from such activities was
warranted.
2014
That does not seem to be the case. If
I cast my eye at the 2014 election, I do remember clear tagging of one
political party on Facebook with various themes, at times unrelated themes, far
in excess of other parties. Now this could be that one party is more savvy,
that I grant; which is just fine. It is not so fine if one organization prefers
one side to another. Facebook should come clean on this – does it give equal
weightage to all sides? To be fair, the company does claim that : “The company says it offers the same tools
and services to all candidates and governments regardless of political
affiliation, and even to civil society groups that may have a lesser voice.”
POLITICAL PARTIES AND SOCIAL MEDIA
The article confirms my impression,
and goes deeper, showing how political parties use Social Media to drive an
agenda. That is frankly disturbing. What is even more disturbing is the US
example wherein Facebook teams were in close coordination with one specific
side as per the given article. This is also a claim I have read before, in
another article. “In the U.S., the unit
embedded employees in Trump’s campaign. (Hillary Clinton’s camp declined a
similar offer.)”. In India, worryingly, “the company helped develop the online presence of Prime Minister
Narendra Modi”
CARRYING IT TOO FAR
Now there is a difference between
providing space to Political Parties – which is welcome; we normal citizens do
need to engage in dialogue with Political Parties; that is democracy – and embedding
employees in campaigns. That is carrying it too far. We have no knowledge of whether
the Congress was approached in India; I can assume it was, and it also refused.
But be that as it may, should a Media house be so integrally involved in
Political Campaigns? Sure – let parties engage; but please keep an arms’ length
distance from them.
SOCIAL MEDIA AND BUSINESS
On a broader Social Media question,
it is apparent that now all parties are getting more active in engaging on
Political Media. All Social Media players are recommended to protect the
fairness and equality of social media by being equidistant from them. If the
article quoted does not give the complete picture, I would love to read how
Facebook and other Social Media are being equidistant. Basis what I have read
in this and some previous articles, this does not appear to be the case. And most pertinently, why aren’t organisations
equally active on Social Media, and engaging with customers? Why is that a rarity?
Can anyone point me to a cheaper way to getting in direct touch with consumers?
THE POWER OF SOCIAL MEDIA
For that is the power of Social Media
– its fairness potential, the potential of allowing everyone big or small an
equal chance to get spotted. Even an unknown can, through quality posting,
strategic & focused effort and perseverance get noticed. We need to protect
that – this will ensure seamless information dissemination and fair chance to
all sides. And from a business perspective, for both Social Media as well as
for companies, this is a standing lesson. There is a much bigger market there,
Facebook – get brands to engage customers properly. And Brands would do well by
stepping up customer as well as consumer engagement on Social Media through a focused
strategic approach; not the sidelined also-there strategies that are in common
usage today in Corporate India. That is what the next part of my social media
series is all about – leveraging SM for a proper consumer dialogue…
Comments
Post a Comment