Every category of media is defined by It's usage. Social media also known as the new media was introduced to combat the communication challenges that existed, gradually It's usage changed over the years. From just a communication tool used for chatting and entertainment, gradually it became a widely accepted medium of dissemination of information. The acceptance didn't just occur, it was as a result of people seeking a medium that promotes freedom of opinion and reduced censorship of information.
It can be said that it was the conventional media misappropriation of information that led to the rise of social media, it gave the masses a reason to seek multi source of information. I wouldn't blame the Masses, since the conventional media has taken upon themselves to manipulate information at will. Joseph Klapper said,"all the media does is to engineer context. With the justification of being the entity empowered with the authority of gatekeeping information. It was an honourable duty till it became an excuse to act as the almighty of information, creating salience for only information that suit their preferences.
The conventional media was meant to define what true libertarian theory feels like but their actions goes contrary to the objectives of the theory. So the journey began, the search for true libertarian means of dissemination of information and just like that social media was empowered with the responsiblity. Users disseminating information of their choosing and also being the consumer of the information. Does it not sound like the definition of democracy? In the altered form, information of the people, for the people and by the people.
The one thing about every innovative idea introduced by humans is that, as time goes on, it's objectives changes. The primary reason behind this change is politicians strive for power, institutional hypocrisy, governmental policy and monetisation. Seeing how fast the social media is gaining acceptance among the masses, it was only a matter of time before the system becomes corrupted. The funny thing about corruption is that, it doesn't have one form, it takes any form of humans desire.
We have all witnessed protest starting on social media and having real effect on the Masses. There might be all forms of government structure but it all leads to one thing, which is centralised power. The masses gaining untamed control of the society through the social media, different bodies started sweeping in with all kind of methods to ensure the freedom of opinion enjoyed by the masses on social media have a price. Freedom of speech will definitely be for everyone but only those who have what it takes to pay the price will be privileged to express it.
Should our opinion on social media be enough reason for a dismissal? It depends. Most companies and organisations, even governmental entities use social media to build public identity, marketing and all forms of advertising to promote services and increase public acceptance. In order to achieve this, such entity needs to invest time, money and effort in building trust. Trust is a fickle thing, all it takes is one contrary truth to what a company is trying promote on social media and it all comes crashing down.
Knowing the implications of a meltdown, no entity would want a reason to find themselves in such a situation. So they build all kind of walls from forming a good PR team to employing social media managers just to manage the flow of information about the company. Most companies even go as far as asking their employees to sign a confidentiality agreement just to have a legal stand against any employee that disseminate information that is capable of defaming the company. Knowing this, if such employee still goes against the contract, the company can go to any length to ensure such individual is punished.
This punishment comes in different ways, it might be dismissal from work, paying a fine or in worst case scenario, such individual might even serve time in prison. Is this fair? It doesn't really matter, It is the world we now live in. Which means speaking up for something you believe is right and it is within your right, to do so is now conditional. Like people would say," There is freedom of speech/opinion but freedom after speech is not guaranteed.
The truth isn't what you think it is, it is subjective to individual perspective of what is believed to be right, so before speaking out, ensure you are in a good position to do so, so that when the blowback comes at you, you would be protected. I have seen cases of defamation either libel or slander and the truth is, I'm terrified. If you see how the truth will be analysed and twisted by the law, it will make you wonder if the truth holds any power at all.
This write-up was inspired by weekly featured content titled Social media call out in hive learners community.
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