Information on the internet moves fast. When social media first came to life, its goal was to allow people to communicate with each other more easily. Various social media and networking sites were a level up from email.
Now, the sharing of information, data, and stories goes by so fast that some people and companies are having a hard time keeping up. That’s the reason some businesses and organizations have started using website data capture software.
They use the program to take snapshots of their sites, as well as their social media engagements, including replies, comments, and feedback. The software helps them keep records of the daily conversations and growth of their social media accounts.
Sharing for Social and Corporate Use
Social media users share anything they want through whatever platform they choose. They share their thoughts through blogs and later on through microblogs or tweets. This has evolved to sharing links and pictures, as well as songs and videos.
Companies soon started posting on social media, too, because that was where the conversation was. They had stories to tell, pictures to share, videos for everyone to see, and products to sell.
Twelve years after Instagram came into existence, it and other social networking sites remain to grow in presence. Corporations are in there sharing their products. If this is where the consumers are, and where the market goes, then businesses would be there showing off their stuff and explaining how things work.
Social Responsibility and a Permanent Memory
One thing about social media is that once something is posted, it exists forever. Even if nobody reads a post, for example, it is there for everyone to see. Worse, even if it was deleted, the act of posting made it a real thing. It is true that once posted, it stays forever in a server somewhere.
The nature of social media is that posts are meant to be seen by people. Even if you suddenly have doubts or second thoughts, there’s someone out there who may have already seen it before you take down a post. Most users check their social media accounts at least once a day. Somebody is bound to see a corporate post before it can be deleted.
Every so often, a questionable image or idea is posted online, and somebody reacts. A consumer may not like the way a company projects an image, or the wordings may be interpreted in another way, or the post was singularly critical and divisive. This may lead to sanctions, a consumer boycott, or even lawsuits.
Reviews are done on whether it happened or not, and the issue is explained by the original poster. Social media is primarily for individuals. If they make a mistake about a post, this can be taken down, and the person does a do-over. A problematic post has happened but the person will try to improve on the impression they have made to followers, friends, and other people.
When this happens to a company, however, heads are expected to roll. Companies are sensitive to what they post because their brand will take a hit if something goes wrong online. A mistake in posting can only be mitigated by reasonable explanation online. There are more than 2.8 billion users of social media in 2019, and businesses can’t make a misstep in their marketing and lose the market.
