A lot of people have learned some hard lessons when it comes to how much personal information they reveal on Facebook and other social media platforms. One person’s “TMI” is just a day of status updates for another. And I’m sure you’ve heard about people who were passed over for jobs, or even fired, because of their postings on social media. Companies who have used Facebook as an easy way to promote their brand, have also seen major blowbacks from posting outside the bounds. So, how much is too much? And is there ever an upside to letting it all hang out?
Let’s start with the individual. Most of us these days, whether we’ve thought it through or not, are branding ourselves on social networks. We share what we like, who we like, what we eat, wear and listen to. We are marketing ourselves to an audience. How many people post pictures looking their absolute worst? Or how often do you see, “My kid was at the very bottom of his class, lol” on your status feed? Instead, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram posts usually represent a collection of our “Greatest Hits.” And why not? We’re the producer, director and star of our little scoop of space on the Internet. But some of us have gotten so comfortable that we’ve dropped our guard and started posting a “director’s cut” with behind-the-scenes footage.
In one instance, “Tom” from Northern Virginia had a dear friend who passed away a year ago. Grief stricken and, as it happens, a good writer, he took to posting his very personal, anguished feelings for all to see on his page. Some would’ve felt too vulnerable, but Tom says being an open book had its advantages. “When my mother passed, when I lost my job, when I lost my friend – honestly, my Facebook friends seriously helped me to survive. I may not have without them,” he said. Another man told me he found employment through Facebook. In other words, by not only posting happy news, people have gotten comfort, empathy and even employment from Facebook posts.
But the challenge is knowing how to network and market yourself, without bad-mouthing your current employer or workmates. Sure, it’s okay to say that you’re looking for help or a better situation, but beware. You can be fired from your job for the things you say on social media. The National Labor Relations Board has been overseeing social media regulations and has essentially determined that the “free speech” argument only goes so far. An employee may not bring harm to a company by, for example, posting racists rants or defamatory articles about the company’s product. Freedom of speech, of course, doesn’t mean you can say whatever you want at work.
A recent ruling, however, called one corporation’s policy “overly broad,” but stopped short of saying that social media postings are protected under federal labor law. Instead, the National Labor Relations Board let stand the basic argument that while co-workers cannot freely defame the company, they do have the right to discuss “quality of work life issues,” such as wages, conditions and benefits on social media.
And what about companies? They, too, must decide how much to reveal about their corporate identity on social media. Most company Facebook and Twitter accounts are a scrolling commercial. For the sake of interactivity, my recommendation to companies is to answer questions that visitors or consumers might pose to them. The tricky part is when the company starts talking about themselves.
The Chick-Fil-A company famously used social media to destroy their image, or reinforce their customer base and even grow it, depending on who you ask. What’s undeniable is that Facebook became the sounding board for both the company and the consumers. Never before could those two entities communicate so directly. Arguably, Chick-Fil-A would only like to talk about chicken sandwiches on social media from this point forward. But in the heat of the controversy which boiled up from the CEO’s view on gay marriage, the source that many news reports were using for information was Facebook. Meanwhile, the Jim Henson Company announced on their Facebook page they were no longer going to give away the Muppet toys they provide for Chick-Fil-A kids’ meals. For the Henson Company, this was also a chance to define their position to their consumer base.
Two different companies, with untold millions in their collective coffers, used the same free social media platforms that you and I use everyday. That is how important information management is on Facebook and Twitter. For some companies, laying out a political philosophy might actually enhance the company brand. Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream devotes an entire Web page to their self-described “progressive values,” and how they incorporate those beliefs into their business model and relationship with employees. Weaving “counter culture” icons like Jerry Garcia, peace activist Wavy Gravy and peace symbols into the packaging gives humorous hints to their consumers on where they stand socially.
The point is, a company has to ask itself tough questions. How much of our personal beliefs do we share with consumers on social media? And how much do we withhold, only showing our “Greatest Hits.” That question hangs in cyber space, as each of us, whether individuals bragging about our cats, or a billion dollar company bragging about our hot dogs, decides what the upside is of revealing just a littler bit more of who we are.
–Kyle Osborne
