Keeping It Transparent

To say the least, the invention and integration of social media into our society has changed our world in ways we could have never imagined.  Our ability to obtain constant feedback, handle crisis management, and communicate directly to the public are strategic ways the journalism and public relations fields have evolved for both the worse and the better.  

The concept of transparency is one that should always be present in journalism and public relations.  In reality, crisis situations are created when industries and individuals attempt to hide specific, not so glamorous details from the public.  But in a day and age where social media has grown to reach not just millions, but billions and billions of people, the truth is bound to come out.  That is why the call for an open forum that allows for transparent communication between reporters and the public to take place is one that has been called and answered, and that answer is social media. 

Think about how often scandalous stories pop up on your timeline…now think about how much you read into the constant updates about the scandal.  Cumulatively, you’ve probably spent more time than you realize reading up on these juicy tell-all stories that use tactics such as crowdsourcing and open-sourcing to keep you invested in what happens next. 

 In fact, without realizing it you probably spend up at least two hours scrolling through different feeds per day. And that isn’t even the worst of it; In your lifetime, the average person spends up to six and a half years engaging on social media. Think about all the time you could spend traveling to Italy if you had never even logged onto MySpace in middle school.