Social Media & SEO

It may seem like conversations on social media couldn’t possibly get more polarized. But in the face of a pandemic and plummeting economy, during an election year no less, brands continue to find themselves caught in the middle of hot-button issues, forced to choose sides on topics previously thought to be outside their wheelhouse. As they address the possibility of employees going rogue on social, communicators should find recourse in the law, internal policy and strategy.

PRNEWS talked to Justin Buchbinder, social media director at FINN Partners and longtime PRNEWS source and speaker, about brands’ boycott of Facebook advertising in July, Pride 2020 on social, and social media features he’s excited about.

a new study from University of Haifa in Israel found that TikTok is fast becoming a cache of extremist sentiment and hate speech. The study, conducted from February through May 2020, revealed far-right extremist content promoting fascism, racism, anti-Semitism, chauvinism and xenophobia, researchers said. From encouraging violence to promoting conspiracy theories and glorifying terrorist organizations, the 200 posts studied mirror the harmful content that Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and others have been grappling with for years.

A group of several civil rights organizations banded together last week, launching a campaign against Facebook in response to the allowance of what they define as hate speech. The NAACP, Anti-Defamation League, Color of Change, Sleeping Giants and Common Sense Media have all called for advertisers to halt all paid-post spending for the month of July.

PRNEWS welcomed Caroline Jones, executive director of Social Media Club, Inc., to talk about the intense pressure social media managers are under these days.

PR and social media management make for a dynamic couple. These employees hold up the front lines of companies and organizations, no matter what. In a world with access to endless information and instant publication of disputes and occurrences, a social media manager becomes essential to navigating the choppy seas of a restless public.

In a week of public apologies, few have loomed larger than that of General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The nation’s top soldier apparently was transfixed reading social media attacks on him and President Trump’s photo op at St. John’s Episcopal Church. His apology was good, though slightly lacking.

CompTIA’s senior director of global social media Kelly Stone shared LinkedIn Live best practices with PRNEWS senior content manager Sophie Maerowitz.

Occasionally a public figure or employee will take a stance that drifts from the overarching owner or employer. That’s when the brand goes into overtime assuring consumers and followers that the opposing message does not represent the entire organization. The NFL played it safe while Brees sat on the hot seat.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced an 8:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. curfew on June 2, the city’s first such rule since 1945. The curfew, effected following consultation with local police and state government officials in hopes of preventing looting, extends to rideshare apps. While Uber and Lyft complied with the order, as well as Citibike—the bicycle share program owned by Lyft—the latter brand did not go down without a fight on social media.