In terms of social media and dealing with a crisis, I think it can go both ways, however, I do think it’s important for social media to not necessarily reach out to followers, or people who support companies, but for those dealing with a certain situation and feel as though they are heard.
It is often that individuals use social media to get a message out, and not only that, but to get their message out. Many people these days (thanks to technology) have the ability to do just that. So, now it can be hard to differentiate which issues are more important than others (at least to some). Yet, that aside, the opportunity for organizations to see what clients, customers and followers are feeling/ sharing/ talking about, can help them better solve problems and understand where their customers are coming from and what they want and/or need.
In my opinion, when media chatter is ignored, the companies aren’t listening to their clients or customers. In order to stay relevant and keep sustainability, organizations, even when they don’t like it, must read or listen to the posts (even negative) to better help and support their clients, but to create new products and stay important in its customers eyes. Certain media chatter can extremely hurt a company, but at the same time, build them up and make them more successful.
An issue with social media ignored, can have an effect on the entire company. Buy ignoring tips or requests from followers/majority fan base, companies aren’t accessing their full potential, or utilizing the fans’ input they’re asking for; who could be future stakeholders, creators, etc.
Example:
Treyarch Studios (creator of Call of Duty), requested a poll by players and followers, yet ignored responses and requests for most “anticipated map,” so people then retaliated by not buying the games they provided because they said they would use social media, and failed.
The previous link is related to those who have complained about Treyarch (Activition). This isn’t directly related to my mentioning social media above, but it does point out this type of social media can give a negative influence on company. Anyone can search and find social media sites relating different issues or topics, but the more people that discuss and mention issues in the media, the more it’s high-lighted or discussed.
PUBLISHED BY Channing Hertel- COMM 3370: Social Media in Public Relations