Social media has truly changed not only the market but, above all, the behavior of people and of society as a whole. We can see that many consumer habits have changed, and so have the ways people relate to one another.
Today, a group of friends no longer calls each other on the phone; instead, they arrange as much as they can on Facebook. There you find not only the calendar of events each of them will attend, but also invitations to upcoming ones, and people you hadn’t seen in years who, in this new context, become your newest close friend in seconds.
Similar changes have happened in the corporate world. Companies found themselves forced to have social media profiles, even without any idea of how this would affect their business model. On social media, the brand, its services, and its products are exposed much more closely to every customer. And these profiles end up spontaneously becoming yet another customer service channel, because customers feel entitled to post not only suggestions and compliments there, but also complaints.
We keep hearing that social media brings companies both benefits and harm. But which company is actually making a lot of money just by being on social media? Which company is losing revenue because its image has been “damaged” on social media? In reality, no organization is making or losing money. Companies do need to be on social media, but those that want to use it as a big point of sale are mistaken. Not for now, anyway.
There have also been cases of professionals being fired for mixing their professional and personal lives on social media. One well-known case involved a sales director who badmouthed a soccer team on his profile, even though the company he worked for sponsored that team. He was fired a few hours later.
So, in the end, who is responsible for social media? Companies? Professionals? Should companies allow their employees to use social media? Is a policy or code of conduct needed? Or is it better to block access for everyone? Can employees speak on social media on behalf of the company? Defend it? And how can they keep their professional and personal lives apart? After all, social media is personal, isn’t it?
These are many truly delicate questions that still lack effective, concrete answers. After all, this is a new behavior, and we still don’t know which path will be the most effective to follow. What we do know for sure is that social media is changing an entire society, at least in how people relate to one another, and years from now it will be studied and explained in classrooms as one of the great milestones of the social economy.
Companies have their hands tied now that any social network can be accessed from a phone. It is up to each professional to know the right time to use it and what to post. Today’s challenge is far greater than any corporate block: the challenge lies in professionals’ culture.