This Podcast will be the first of a 6-part series that objectively discusses some of the nuances of this brave new world of Social Media, the empowerment that it can bring, and some of the consequences of such empowerment.
This Debut of this Show is set to be aired on March 21st, 2021, and I would strongly encourage your feedback, and stories regarding your positive and negative social media experiences., as I would love to get some of your feedback on future shows.
Episode timeline
Article Format
Introduction
Thank You for listening to the Rhetorical Rantings Series of podcasts brought to you by TVNN and this one is actually one of the first recorded episodes entitled Social Chlamedia – The evolution of social media, and I am Richy Riches Your host for what I believe will be a fascinating episode.
In today’s show we are discussing some of the nuances of this brave new world of Social Media, the empowerment that it can bring, and some of the consequences of such empowerment.
As a debut season of the Rhetorical Rantings Series and in of that the first episode of the Social Chlamedia podcast I want to encourage you from wherever you are listening right now, to send in your audio comments, emails, and tell us about your good and bad rants and stories, so we can make sure to get your voice on our channels.
To share simply Head over to thevocalnarcissist.com or 1journo.com our broadcast providers for more information or you can call us toll free at 1-855-628–6423 or 1-855-62-VOICE and share your opinions, stories, and feedback.
Hope to have a great show Stay tuned!
Let’s Get into it: Exploring this Evolution
Today’s podcast is a treat for me personally, as we are discussing the current state of Social Media, its evolution, and the empowerment that social media brings. Now.. as an added tribute to Stan Lee, and in the spirit of Peter Parkers fictionally adopted father, we will also talk about the potential consequences of such empowerment, and I again encourage you to chime in and contribute some of your personal experiences as you are listening to this podcast because I almost certain that this podcast will bring about mixed feelings, and points of views of varying contrast, based on your personal point of view.
Now there is no denying Social Media has certainly been changing the way we communicate with each other in recent years.
In order for many businesses to stay current, if not relevant in this day and age, its essential for business owners to understand how to use social media to maximize social media marketing to its full potential.
Social media provides small business owners the benefits of an affordable, and “easy to use “marketing means, to promote, and grow their business at a faster pace, while increasing their popularity and influence, “online”.
One of the prime benefits for businesses, is its ability to interact with customers. Businesses are able to pass on information, important to their customers, such as a sales events, or general announcements, in real time. And when we look at this one specific aspect, and how this functionality has evolved over the last 10 years, even the last 3 years, (or even most recently in the last year in part due to the reality of covid-19), it’s simply astonishing the number of apps and social media platforms there are out there for businesses to use to communicate with their customers.
Long gone are the days where twitter was for work related social media activities and Facebook was for personal related social media activities, now Facebook has business related social media functionality, and we have LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, WhatsApp, and so many more apps and platforms, also in the same hybrid space of supplying personal and business social media related activities to the masses, the number of choices that businesses will have to choose from is exhausting (to say the least) with many more to come and follow.
Customers are also enabled in this social media age to share their opinions and feedback on various products and services, which also provides for a great benefit as delighted customers are seen as a great reflection of a strong business.
All this choice and innovation, would make one believe that the landscape is grand for the green pastures of social media and its marketing prowess for businesses, but is it?
With All the wonderful features that these apps boast, you may as a business owner, or shrewd purchaser ask, (particularly if it sounds too good to be true.) What’s the real drawback?
Social media can be a great introduction to your consumer relationship and perhaps in of itself provide great value in the maintenance of that relationship, but when everyone is using it, I can’t help but wonder how effective social media is in gaining or establishing strong relationships of trust with their customers?
I mean how meaningful are the relationships social media creates between businesses and its customers really?
Now I suppose the strength of that social media relationship can be correlated to what tools businesses use, and how they use them, do business post information solely about the business to customers, or do they post information useful to the customer. I am certain that all these things most certainly plays a factor in the effectiveness of any social media campaign.
But again, I ask are there any drawbacks?
Social Chlamedia Story Time
to illustrate this, I am going to use a true-life based example. That’s right Rhetorical Rantings Social Chlamedia story time, and this one:
Is about a Joint Venture Financial firm located in Canada, and it the story of a successful company existing 20 years serving its consumers loyally, helping small to medium sized businesses and their owners, with accounting, administration, and operation services, this company and its affiliates served thousands of clients, and assisted in over a billion dollars in financing requests. Yet they really didn’t spend a lot on marketing, had very little social media presence, and didn’t go out of their way to promote the social media channels they did have. All their business was organically created from the high level of service satisfaction provided to their clients and in return happy customers provided referrals to the company.
And although they didn’t really advertise their media channels, they still garnered quite a few reviews and enjoyed a 4.8 rating on google, as well as numerous municipal, and national awards.
Their joint venture program provided partnership opportunities for enlisted business owners to finance, and/or use the firms resources to assist in the partnered venture, in return for an equity stake that venture.
One of the ventures this financial firm invested in was a consumer brand consisting of convenience store franchise, and the firm (as per it’s agreement pertaining to the venture) assisted in the financial and business planning functions of the store as well as administration for its franchise activities in return for a equity stake In the venture. The other partner served as the brands CEO and was responsible for the day-to-day operations of the store.
The CEO of this venture had decided to get himself an assistant to assist with one of the initial stores, and in an effort to improve overall store operations had decided to bring the assistant in to meet the firm partners, as he wanted to formally introduce the assistant to the rest of management team, and have the assistant sit down with the active executive board members for a formal first sit down, perhaps share feedback, suggestions, and concerns that may be had in regards to the current state of the store and discuss constructive strategies to better improve the store’s bottom line.
However the assistant seemed to have a different set of intentions from the outset, in appearance she was a well dressed, rather tall and a beautiful lady, but the way she came in to the office in regards to her body language, and posturing seemed very defensive, and agitated from the outset as one of the executives gave her a brief tour and introduced her to the staff, she gave a look of disdain to almost every one she was introduced to, many times refusing to even say hello to individuals of colour when introduced.
She was then directed to the board room where her and 2 executives of the brand sat down to discuss the status of currently initiated corporate objectives within the store, and this was in preface to the CEO and chairman’s attendance to the meeting and by design is usually intended to be a 5-minute exercise.
From the time that the assistant sat down she again seemed very defensive and agitated in her posturing, refusing to speak, at first, and then simply screaming abusively, verbally berating the 2 longstanding executives of the firm who had simply and (it should be noted politely) introduced themselves. (with no malice or personal intent on their part) simply trying to do their job.
When the CEO and chairman arrived, (in part because of the assistants screams of malice intent that could be heard across the entire office, the Chairman entered and asked Hi Samantha (and in an interest of protecting this individual we will call her Samantha or Sam) Hi Everyone, Sam everything ok?
To which he then received a verbal barrage of abusive insults, and racist slanders, before the assistant then belligerently began screaming and shouted accusations towards the CEO and then ran out of the office. Now I would say that by the sound of it, this poor disgruntled and perhaps simply misguided soul seems like the perfect candidate to make a guest appearance on a Rhetorical Rantings Series episode, as by the sounds of it she very much sounds like an avid rantor! …..Wow talk about first impressions. Right?
However, things progressed even further, the next week when this assistant who we will call Sam, began sending harassing text message threats to the executives, threatening personal harm, and to take down their businesses, and later (after her obvious dismissal thereafter) she showed up to the store a week later, took a baseball bat and began to trash the store, smashing fridge unit doors, patty baking machines, and cash registers.
When reflecting on this story its hard to truly assess what it was that truly set or triggered this poor misguided soul. Was it her ambitions, (either personally or business related) with the CEO, you know the dream of becoming the CEOs right hand VP and then the realization that this consumer brand was infact bigger than any one individual, maybe she realized, (as by what seemed apparent by her actions) that she doesn’t and wasn’t going to play well with others?
The pursuit of the furtherance perhaps, of a stronger “personal relationship” with the CEO, and the realization that the executives that she (the assistant) and he (the CEO) would be dealing with were also women? Did her sense of perceived competition just simply force her to lash out?
Or maybe it was race related?, the 2 executives she was first introduced to where ladies of colour. The chairman also is of colour. She did slander racist remarks? Referring to black members of the firm as Charcoal at one point in her rant,
Now don’t know if it is or isn’t notable but the now ex-assistant Sam was of Arabic decent, could be from Syria, or Egypt perhaps, and I say this only because the caste system effects many nations globally, so whether or not this is pertinent to her state of mind and perception of coloured people, and/or women in business. Although oddly enough, the Quran specifically addresses conduct in such circumstances, contrary to every one of her actions, but then Again it’s hard to truly assess her motives, and equally difficult to believe again this all erupted and was initiated literally within 10 minutes of her arrival.
But believe or not after all that Sam wasn’t done. Not Done? Nope not even? There’s more. Yes more
After further review of the store, it was discovered that the ex assistant that we will call SAM was stealing inventory from the store. Which may add further meeting to SAM’s motives..
Maybe she was protecting her personal gravy train perhaps? Hmmm..
So yes this lady, ex assistant, to whom we call SAM, who screamed at strangers, abused them verbally, and racially. Physically stole from and trashed the store of the CEO, who had initially set up the meeting and wanted to introduce her to the board, and yet she still wasn’t done. Outside of the attempt of locking out the store cameras so only she could see what was happening in the store, she would call selected employees of the store to occasionally harass them. -Still She was Not Done. Not Done.? Nope not done….
I know, for Minority led businesses and their business owners out there who are hearing this, this probably comes off sort’ve like a Corporate Fatal Attraction story ,right?
I sense your concern and fear…. but hopefully wisdom can be learned from such a tale right? I mean what more can this disgruntled, potentially racist, and/or sexist, and/or thieving misguided soul do? Right? Right?
Well through the use of social media this disgruntled, potentially racist, or sexist, misguided soul goes and sets up an anonymous gmail account entitled OMG and used it for the soul purpose of posting a slanderous google review belittling the firms 20 years of service and calling the owners of the joint venture firms (a minority led firm at that) fraudsters and scamsters, and referring to them by name.
Now the corporation who have always responded and encouraged constructive criticism head on as they appreciate critique from their customer, in order to better serve them. When they responded to the obviously false allegations, more fake reviews from fake accounts began to surface, some from entirely different countries, over a 24-hour period bringing the companies 4.8 rating down to 3.6
Now all that horror of a true life corporate social media tale to ask you how this one person has affected the social media conversation for this company….? the people that work for it….? the future customers that use it……? or the current customers that see it ……? This one person technically didn’t even use a single service from the company, wasn’t even an actual customer, and yet what is their impact? what is that affect of that one person’s misguided voice? As a customer of the firm how would you feel reading that review, without any underlying understanding of SAM? (or perhaps after further reflection we will call her Karen) for those of listener who don’t know Karen, Karen is a meme or name given to people who falsely accuse, publicly slander, and/or spread misleading statements on people of colour.
Sam to which we now will call Karen’s Attempt to symbolically lynch this company using social media, perhaps due to the insecurities of her own misgivings. What if anything would you do, or suggest if you were in this company’s situation?
Now it should be noted that the company did flag the review, however at this point the algorithm hasn’t yet removed it, and 3 months later after SAM’s to which we will now refer as KAREN’s departure, the store and brand has now infact improved its bottom line and is seeing profitability.
Meaning the firm, and CEO are successfully working together, and the partnership is doing its job.
But What further steps would you suggest the company do to negate the potential damage suffered at the hand of this poor impudent strumpet? (to quote Shakespeare) Perhaps they should go legal? Is that what you would suggest? Give her a criminal record for the damage, theft and slander? Lock her up?
Hmm… how would that help the victim in this case? Which I believe to be the corporation? And their Social media reputation?
Should they go out now and “purchase 5-star reviews” from a marketing firm to drown formally called SAM, the disgruntled ex-assistant to which we will now call KAREN’s fake reviews, How Far does this rabbit hole go?
Think about it, how do you really feel about companies who purchase fake 5-star reviews on products that aren’t 5 stars?
Or for better for worse those who post 100’s of 5-star reviews for products that only have a handful of sales?
In a world where people and/or business can simply purchase fake 5 star reviews or create fake 1 star reviews to meet any vindictive or even competitive motive. What is the current overall impact Now? And what is the potential overall impact in the near to long term future.
Closing Remarks
Just imagine … what if the competition were able to manufacture or create negative reviews for the sole purpose of what I would call slandering the competition on their own sites through negative ratings.
The reckless nature of freedom one could exhibit when they do not have to personally back up or be accountable to the words they use. The ability to shout and hide, digitally anonymously without being seen, watching the ripple of echoes from a distance.
What is the impact? What is the recourse? And what affect does that have overall?
With great power comes great responsibility, right? But what if people refuse to act responsibly?
I mean How many among us choose to be peter parker over Norman Osbourne….
Spiderman over The Green Goblin, and what happens when people unjustly let their green goblins out, like SAM or I mean Karen.
Do we simply leave it to the platforms themselves to figure this stuff out? What if they don’t?
Or better yet ……What in the meanwhile?
What’s your thoughts on this, I would really appreciate hearing them, in fact give me a call at 1-855-62-VOICE to let me know your thoughts and comments by phone or email me directly at admin@1journo.com so we can share and discuss them further on air.
I think this topic will be one that we will most certainly hope to continue with here, on this Rhetorical Rantings Series podcast brought to you by TVNN the Vocal Narcissist Network. In fact, we might as well label this as a part 1, as I would love to collect some more stories and comments from you our audience, regarding their good and bad social media experiences, so we can involve them in number of future discussions, and develop this into a truer and more comprehensive conversation overall, touching on the other many aspects, and faces of this social media evolution/revolution and perhaps looking outside the algorithms to address some of the alternative impacts of this amazing, and fascinating technology.
Again, I’m Richy Riches and it has been a pleasure hosting this episode, I’m looking forward to next one, and you being a part of it, you can subscribe for future episodes on Thevocalnarcissist.com and 1journo.com or most likely by whatever means you are hearing this now.
Hang tight enjoy your freedom, Thanks for listening Talk soon.
