The Digital Ripple Effect ™
The effects of social media content and online engagement aren’t just restricted to the cyber domain. Social media user actions that occur in the digital world have the potential to impact our physical world, as the barriers between the two spheres have become more and more blurred with our world evolving into unprecedented hyperconnectivity. How often is something a celebrity or politician tweeted cited on television news? How frequently has the contents of a colleague or friend’s recent social media posts come up in daily conversation? The things we post and share on social media don’t just stay on social media - these digital developments are frequently present in our physical world.
The global disbursement of social media has radically altered how people connect with information, organizations, and communities. With just a few clicks of a button, we can be connected to just about anyone in the world. Social media consolidated a once dispersed global network into a mere three-and-a-half degree of separation. The rising popularity of social media turned the saying, “It’s a small world!” into a readily-accessible mechanism for expansive connectivity. These digitally-driven shifts in how people communicate and spend time have revolutionized cultural norms, long-established industries, and organizational operations in all sectors.
What is the Digital Ripple Effect ™?
Have you ever thrown a stone into a body of water? What happens?
The thrown stone initiated a ripple effect throughout the water. Initially, the first ring is small - not much bigger than the stone itself; however, the force “ripples” throughout the water, with each ring getting bigger and bigger and bigger as it expands. The initial force is multiplied as the rippling encompasses more and more mass.
Like a thrown stone, social media activity and content can initiate a ripple effect throughout all aspects of our communities, organizations, and even society. At Becker Digital, we refer to this phenomenon as the Digital Ripple Effect ™.
When a social media post reaches wide disbursement in a short period, this is often referred to as “going viral.” Sometimes social media content that goes viral is entertaining or inspiring. Other times, social media content that goes viral is negative, destructive, or misleading. False or inaccurate social media content is now referred to as “misinformation” or “disinformation.” The effects of such social media content have the potential to “ripple” through many aspects of our online and offline lives.
Mis/Disinformation’s Contributions to the Digital Ripple Effect ™
What started as a teenage pastime has become an essential component of American culture. Social media’s popularity disrupted established industries and changed how we connect across multiple fronts. Even if we are not active on social media, the effects of actions and engagement on popular social media platforms still have the potential to impact our daily lives.
Heightened usage and widespread adoption of social media have put the ability to distribute information in the hands of anyone with a profile and internet connection. When the information being distributed is accurate, this can have positive impacts on society. Many of us have observed this in natural disasters or aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic, when social media serve as a community hub for public health and safety updates. However, when the information being distributed is false or intentionally misleading, as is the case with mis- and disinformation, the spread of such information can have extensive negative effects on society.
Recently, mis/disinformation that appeared to show Pope Francis wearing a Balenciaga puffer jacket riveted the Internet. Fashion statement from the Vatican? This “viral” content was actually an artificial intelligence (AI)-generated image that resulted in a few laughs and more than one comedic skit. But digitally-facilitated pranks aren’t where social media’s potential effects stop. Extremist and terrorist groups have leveraged social media to spread disinformation campaigns that resulted in devastating consequences - genocides in Myanmar, deadly attacks in Sri Lanka, and the insurrection that occurred in the United States on January 6, 2021.
How Social Media’s Digital Ripple Effect ™ Impact Organizations
Organizations in both public and private sectors are increasingly encountering the “digital ripple effect™ of user-generated social media content on their mission, operation, and reputation.
One negative social media post from an unhappy customer or employee rapidly disseminated across social media channels can have lasting impacts on the organization. Many social media users will mindlessly share sensationalized social media content without taking the time to verify the posts’ accuracy or evaluate the trustworthiness of the source. This irresponsible social media usage is partially responsible for the rising prevalence of misinformation and the increasing effectiveness of disinformation intended to deceive or manipulate users.
Higher education institutions are currently struggling to address the negative impacts of student-generated social media content on anonymous hyperlocal apps, such as Jodel, Sidechat, and Yik Yik. Well-reputed colleges and universities, such as Harvard, Yale, Tufts, Penn State, and Virginia Tech, have very active hyperlocal app communities geographically affiliated with their student body. Cyberbullying, hate speech, mis/disinformation, targeted harassment, and threats of acts of violence are frequently posted to these university-adjunct online communities without any recourse from the administration.
Destructive user-generated social media content has the potential to negatively impact organizations in the following ways:
Damages organizational culture
Negative impacts on recruitment and retention
Decline in organizational morale
Negative publicity for the organization
Diminishes sense of belonging, inclusion, and safety
Loss of trust in organizational leadership’s capabilities
Reputation damage to established organizations
Undermines organizational hierarchy and order
The Digital Ripple Effect ™ of user-generated social media content, related activity and engagement, and online misconduct, has been noted as potentially contributing to the failure to retain service members in the United States military. Social media content, including mis/disinformation, can change the way people view organizations. When social media content is negative, people may shift their views regarding the organization’s reputation and related trustworthiness. For public sector organizations, such as government agencies, this added layer of reputation management is coming at a time of historic lows in public trust in government agencies and officials.
The Digital Ripple Effect ™ - Next Steps:
Social media can provide organizations with an excellent platform to increase awareness, engage their communities, and prompt positive action; however, these same platforms can also be used to undermine organizational effectiveness across multiple fronts.
Given the potential impacts of social media through the Digital Ripple Effect ™, it’s critical that organizational leaders remain current on social media capabilities and the potential impacts of user-generated social media content and mis/disinformation on their organization. Social media isn’t a flash-in-the-pan development that will dissipate in a few months. Instead, social media is a far-reaching technology that has upended communications, information sourcing, networking, and reputation management as we know it. Popular social media platforms and established user behaviors are here to stay - altering multi-domain operating environments.
Becker Digital provides interactive and informative social media-related training to government and nonprofit organizations. Our team of subject matter experts works with mission-driven organizations to analyze social media challenges and opportunities, counter mis/disinformation, and develop digital leadership skills essential to success in the Digital Age. Additionally, we provide digital media literacy skills to organizational team members at all stages of career development. Our highly-specialized social media training services equip organizations to navigate complex and dynamic situations that so often accompany the Digital Ripple Effect ™.
For additional information:
If your organization would like to discuss social media-related challenges and opportunities, Becker Digital is an available source of support. Contact us to schedule a consultation and learn more about how social media response strategy and training can enhance your organization’s mission.
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