Social Media is a powerful tool. Over the past few years it is fair to say that Social Media has affected each of us in either our personal or business lives. A true phenomenon.
With this said, there is a flip side to Social Media. A side where Social Media encourages antisocial behaviour, group extremists and all round inappropriateness! With an outlet to voice an opinion and have complete freedom of speech, Social Media in the wrong hands is an ultimate portal for risky business.
Here I have a few examples of Social Media in the wrong hands – some with happy endings, some quite amusing, so it’s not all doom and gloom, but it does show us the importance of using Social Media in the right way.
- Here, pinch my info…
We add so much information to our profiles and our blogs that it is certainly easy to learn everything you need to know about someone in such little time. Take a look at this link to see just how much information you share on Social Media – you’ll be surprised at just how much someone could find out about you if they really wanted to! http://www.takethislollipop.com/
- Come on over…
It was in the news a little while ago about a house party that was being held when a young girls parents were away for the weekend. She added the details of the party on Facebook, and by making this information so freely available, a lot more people than expected turned up. Not only was she overrun by young party goers, but the house got completely trashed. A perfect example of keeping private information to yourself!
- Burglars, I’m here!..
With Social Media sites adding more and more to their capabilities, you can now ‘check in’ on the likes of Facebook to inform your Facebook friends of the exciting places you have visited. This may sound harmless, but letting the whole world know exactly where you are opens the opportunity for those that are that way inclined to ‘visit’ your house!
Status updates also tell people how you are away from home for 2 weeks in sunny Spain. This makes it even easier for burglars, who don’t even need to check that your whereabouts!
- Whoops!
Social Media makes publishing information so simple and so quick- great! Not so great for those who may miss inappropriate spellings or sayings that then get published worldwide. We probably all heard on the news about Susan Boyles Album Party hashtag. Something not to be repeated here so you’ll have to look that one up yourselves!
Another example features on a recent TV documentary ‘Don’t Blame Facebook’ (click here to view the show- http://www.channel4.com/programmes/dont-blame-facebook/4od), a happy couple planning a boozy trip to America posted ‘we’re going to destroy America’. Those who speak the local lingo will know that ‘destroy’ means to drink hard in America; paint the town red. However, this was assumed by officials as a terrorist threat and the couple were stopped at the airline gates heading into LA. It goes to show that on such a worldwide level it is easy to get lost in translation, with nasty consequences.
- In a flash!
In very recent news you may have seen the image of the poor girl who posted her dress on eBay, not noticing that her naked reflection had appeared in the mirror- big whoops! She noticed quite quickly but within the few minutes that the image was published it had already gone viral! This is a great example (not for her) of just how quickly information can spread via Social Media.
There are numerous examples of accidental posts on Social Media. You’ve probably done it yourself at one point. Those dreaded personal emails that get published online! With the instant uploading of information on Social Media sites, there’s no time to back track.
- I did it!
On the same documentary as mentioned above, an unsuspecting criminal was cautioned for crimes he had committed and posted himself on YouTube. Videos of him committing crimes such as speeding and racing in the streets and stealing petrol were posted for the whole world to see…including the Police! Now there’s no denying that one!
Without getting into the dark side of Social Media, these examples demonstrate the importance of using Social Media in the right way, for the right reasons, at the right time. With any Social Media, even your personal encounters, a strategy cannot go amiss! I hope these made you giggle. Check out the link above to watch some more examples of Social Media in the wrong hands.
Emma Dobson is a branding expert and Touch Point guru at Happy Creative, a full service marketing agency based in Blackpool, Lancashire. To learn more or contact us please go to www.happy-creative.co.uk
