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In an age where information (and gossip) is so shareable what does this mean for the regulation of social media? The PHA Media Chairman, Phil Hall, who represents a number of celebrity clients, has said that media injunctions are a valid tool in reputation management in some cases adding that, “Just because it is not possible to police Twitter, it doesn’t mean that the media at large should be able to publish any story they wish, however private.” Then it emerged that the Press Complaints Commission will undertake a consultation that may lead to the body regulating journalists’ and newspapers’ Twitter feeds. Will regulation of Facebook be next, and how long will it take for the first journo to be pulled up in front of the PCC for 140 character reporting?
The issue with attempting to regulate social media is that as soon as it is out there, it’s out there. The news morphs and changes in front of your eyes, and in seconds it can change from supposed fact to opinion and debate. As always, regulation is a whole era behind the technology it looks to control, and any brand or celeb that thinks regulating what journalists post in social media will stop news coming out and being widely debated has obviously not been online recently. Add to this that the PCC’s remit is the UK and the internet is global, and you have a whole host of other issues.
This really is where social media flexes its muscles, and the advice to any individual or brand would be that social media is a thousand watt spotlight just waiting to be switched on, so be prepared! Know how to track conversations so you can see how they evolve in real-time. Know your influencers and stakeholders. Predict potential issues that may have a detrimental effect. And be aware that you will never be able to engage with everyone, but some will need the personal touch while others are happy just to be kept in the loop. In fact it really is as simple as listen, understand, learn and speak, something, it seems that the PCC will be doing more of – perhaps they will be our next new client!
