Flipping through the usual bookmarks I found a video (ok it wasn’t hard to find it was on the govfresh homepage) that raised a question that I’ve definitely thrown around in my head a few times before in different ways. What happens when one of the massive social media outlets turns into something we don’t want it to be.
I mean it has happened before and it will continue to happen. For instance ChatRoulette was supposed to be a site where you could video chat with random people across the world. But as you can guess in a matter of weeks turned into an online orgy.
All I’m saying is what happens when facebook or twitter ceases to be what we have come accustom to it being. Almost every website has social media connects and plug-ins all over their site. What will be the fall out (for your site which I know probably has social media all over it) if those social media tools all the sudden have a fall out with the masses.
I know that the major tools used have it in their best interest to keep going down the path that they are currently but it’s not too far fetched to think that facebook could have a sudden change, they always are tweaking things on a week to week basis.
Anyways back to the question by the guy who looks suspiciously like Johnny Depp. Why are governments and I think even more specifically politicians tying themselves so closely with social media and giving a stamp of approval on things that could at any second turn on them without any prior notice.
For example if facebook really wanted to screw a specific candidate they totally could. I’m not sure as a private company and as a nontraditional media facebook would be held to journalistic standards (like those exist anymore anyways).
It’s a big what if senario but still it’s a little scary how powerful social networks have become.