In response to Olena Matey

 Naturally, this can in itself prove to be an incredibly difficult task. After all, if a company is well-known for being ‘edgy’, where should it draw the line? Without clear guidelines, boundaries can become dangerously blurry.  Having clearly defined rules can mean the difference between a funny tweet and a downright offensive one.

While effective brand guidelines can help to prevent social media gaffes, no brand can guarantee that an audience won’t take offence – even if it is entirely unintentional.  In this case, the biggest challenge for social media strategists is crafting the best response possible.

In response to Fujiko Nakayama

It’s a daunting prospect to hold a brand’s entire reputation in your hands. However, for anyone tweeting on behalf of an organization, this is often the reality.  As this responsibility can fall on a variety of shoulders – from experienced editors to inexperienced social media execs – it is vital that brands set up proper guidelines for all employees to follow.

 Naturally, this can in itself prove to be an incredibly difficult task. After all, if a company is well-known for being ‘edgy’, where should it draw the line? Without clear guidelines, boundaries can become dangerously blurry.  Having clearly defined rules can mean the difference between a funny tweet and a downright offensive one.

It’s a daunting prospect to hold a brand’s entire reputation in your hands. However, for anyone tweeting on behalf of an organization, this is often the reality.  As this responsibility can fall on a variety of shoulders – from experienced editors to inexperienced social media execs – it is vital that brands set up proper guidelines for all employees to follow.

In response to János Pataky

Finding out how to manage social media across multiple countries requires careful planning.  The biggest factor for companies to consider is whether to have a global or local strategy.  Without a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach, the best solution can be surprisingly hard to figure out.

While one company might benefit from a global strategy – where consistency across all channels will be guaranteed – another might find that the opportunity to speak to an audience in a colloquial or cultural context outweighs this.  What’s more, if a global team tries to implement localization, the risk of gaffes and blunders through lack of cultural understanding is always high.

Finding out how to manage social media across multiple countries requires careful planning.  The biggest factor for companies to consider is whether to have a global or local strategy.  Without a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach, the best solution can be surprisingly hard to figure out.

Instagram now lets users and brands broadcast live with a guest in a split screen format. Broadcasts will appear in the Stories section of the platform with two circles (instead of the typical one circle). If your broadcast receives a lot of engagement, you could end up in Instagram’s Search and Explore tab.

When planning a collaborative broadcast, think about how two speakers can create unique content for this new format. You might choose to invite a guest from a strategic brand partnership for an announcement or ask an influencer to co-host an Instagram takeover.

In response to Rosanne Ostberg

I am concerned about the polarization in the way news get delivered nowadays.  I cannot help but wonder whether we will one day see a situation where people get second-rate news if it is free and first-rate news if it is paid.

This is highly unlikely due to the fact that news themselves are created most for control of the masses. Human mind tends to focus on the bad news in order for us to survive, the most memorable news are the bad news. So lets imagine that there are news about shootouts in America, how does that affect the gun dealers? News are like lego blocks, creating our reality.

Social media is of significant importance to us but then we must look at both the pros and cons as it proves to be a boon if used judiciously and effectively as well as a bane if being overused or misused.

In response to George Waters

Social media has played a significant role in bringing a new revolution in our lives but has also lead to many insignificant setbacks. As we know that anything that is accepted by us on a global platform is at the most useful and fruitful to us but at times the adversities come into picture where we need to check and evaluate about the outcomes. So, coming to the impact of social media, there are advantages and disadvantages running simultaneously on a parallel track.

One of the significant impacts of social media is the tremendously increased awareness of the masses in context of the news and happenings going all around the world because internet spreads news and reviews more rapidly than any other mode and social media makes them do so. So people have become more aware and updated now.

Social media has played a significant role in bringing a new revolution in our lives but has also lead to many insignificant setbacks. As we know that anything that is accepted by us on a global platform is at the most useful and fruitful to us but at times the adversities come into picture where we need to check and evaluate about the outcomes. So, coming to the impact of social media, there are advantages and disadvantages running simultaneously on a parallel track.

The biggest challenges businesses face with social media are lack of resources, no formal strategy, building a community of followers, and tracking results.

Social media sites often make changes to their security to address identified or potential issues. While some sites notify you of updates and new settings, others may implement them without your knowledge, leaving you unaware of what's happened. How often this happens, and whether you're notified depends on the site. Because of this, you should review your settings from time to time to ensure they're configured the way you intended.

In response to Kolab Pasternak

The rise of the Internet has sparked a debate about how online communication affects social relationships. The Internet frees us from geographic fetters and brings us together in topic-based communities that are not tied down to any specific place.

Here is an interesting challenge.  Social media policies are designed to set expectations for appropriate behavior and ensure that an employee's posts will not expose the company to legal problems or public embarrassment. Such policies include directives for when an employee should identify himself as a representative of the company on a social networking website, as well as rules for what types of information can be shared.

The rise of the Internet has sparked a debate about how online communication affects social relationships. The Internet frees us from geographic fetters and brings us together in topic-based communities that are not tied down to any specific place.

I would like to take the discussion in a slightly different direction for a moment: the social media "challenges".  Every year the internet sees a new viral trend come to life that brings people together to partake in the joyful “challenges”. Over the years we’ve seen trends that include staying still, laying down, crazy dances, and pouring freezing cold water over yourself that have swept the internet. I blame Facebook for this abnormal behavior.  Do any of you have an opinion on the subject?

Cyborgs offer unique opportunities for fake news spreaders, as it blends automated activity with human input.  When the automated accounts are publicly identified, the human part of the cyborg is able to take over and could protest that the account has been used manually all along.

In response to Bistra Chelieva

Cyberculture is the various social phenomena that are associated with the Internet and network communications (blogs, online multi-player gaming), whereas New Media is concerned more with cultural objects and paradigms (digital to analog television, iPhones).

New Media are the cultural objects which use digital computer technology for distribution and exhibition. e.g. (at least for now) Internet, Web sites, computer multimedia, Blu-ray disks etc. The problem with this is that the definition must be revised every few years. The term "new media" will not be "new" anymore, as most forms of culture will be distributed through computers.

Cyberculture is the various social phenomena that are associated with the Internet and network communications (blogs, online multi-player gaming), whereas New Media is concerned more with cultural objects and paradigms (digital to analog television, iPhones).

An open Facebook profile is arguably a stalker’s dream, with all manner of personal details, from current city of residence to phone numbers and photos available to browse and swipe.  And on Twitter, many users regularly post pictures with their location tagged, all of which allows for people to know their whereabouts with relative accuracy, as well as let savvy burglars know you’re not at home.

Social media is not just about posting and then waiting for results. Social is about Social. It’s about discussing and debating new ideas, looking for users to engage with and sharing feedback on your product/service. Not to mention asking what prospects are looking for next and what their desires are (which helps identify user personas).

In response to Prof. Dr.-Ing. Helga Breitner

Although the real-world effects of ‘fake news’ or disinformation campaigns are difficult to tangibly calculate there is no doubt that they are out there. Creating an army of Twitter accounts to promote a certain line of messaging or setting up a blog with the intention to deceive is incredibly simple – anyone with the will can do it.  Much of the attention on this has centred on Russia but the fact is there are states in the west that surreptitiously push political messaging as well. Before the Democrat email hack this was generally known as astroturfing, with China, the USA, and Britain all known to participate in massaging discourse online.
 

Helga,

You make some good points.  In general "fake news" is journalism that consists of deliberate misinformation, news whose main purpose is to distort "the truth for emotional persuasion, seeking to drive action." More recently it has become a catch-all term used to discredit stories, and in the political arena to influence the political process and elections in the U.S and abroad.

In response to Rosanne Ostberg

I am concerned about the polarization in the way news get delivered nowadays.  I cannot help but wonder whether we will one day see a situation where people get second-rate news if it is free and first-rate news if it is paid.

The algorithms social-media sites deploy to deliver personalized content clearly have a large role in making sure users encounter only information that agrees with their existing beliefs.

Although the real-world effects of ‘fake news’ or disinformation campaigns are difficult to tangibly calculate there is no doubt that they are out there. Creating an army of Twitter accounts to promote a certain line of messaging or setting up a blog with the intention to deceive is incredibly simple – anyone with the will can do it.  Much of the attention on this has centred on Russia but the fact is there are states in the west that surreptitiously push political messaging as well. Before the Democrat email hack this was generally known as astroturfing, with China, the USA, and Britain all known to participate in massaging discourse online.
 

False news is more novel than true news, and that may be why we share the false much faster and more widely. Prominent responses to false news include surprise, fear and disgust. True news tends to be met with sadness, joy, anticipation and trust. Humans are more likely than automated processes to be responsible for the spread of fake news.

In response to George Waters

I am interested in finding out more about how ranking algorithms influence what news gets delivered to end-users and the manner in which it gets delivered.  Can someone with experience elaborate on the further?

George,

Google has patented a news ranking algorithm.  The metrics cited in the patent application include: the number of articles produced by a news organization during a given time period; the average length of an article from a news source; and the importance of coverage from the news source.  Other metrics include a breaking news score, usage patterns, human opinion, circulation statistics and the size of the staff associated with a particular news operation.  Also factored in are the number of news bureaus a news source has, the number of original named entities used in stories, breadth of coverage, international diversity and even writing style.

Talk about fake news...have you all heard of Conspiracy 58?  The 1958 FIFA World Cup was staged in Sweden.  Conspiracy 58 tried to convince people in the host country that the tournament never happened. It explored claims that the 1958 tournament was staged by FIFA and the CIA to test the power of television to influence people.  Some of these claims included that you could see the Los Angeles skyline behind stadiums in grainy footage and shadows cast by players were in the wrong position for Swedish summer.  Here is more info on this incredible experiment.

@Guido: fake news are there since the beginning of time and have many different names: April's fool, cospiracy, propaganda.

One of the most famous is the presence of channels on Mars, reported by astronomer Schiaparelli in 1877, which led to the creation of the martians and all subsequence Sci-fi literature.

We will never get rid of them, but we can try to spot them and in this AI could play a great role.

I am concerned about the polarization in the way news get delivered nowadays.  I cannot help but wonder whether we will one day see a situation where people get second-rate news if it is free and first-rate news if it is paid.

It is mind boggling how quickly digital media have evolved over the past two decades.  Digital media are no longer just a supplement but rather the main type of media people use today.

I am interested in finding out more about how ranking algorithms influence what news gets delivered to end-users and the manner in which it gets delivered.  Can someone with experience elaborate on the further?

@lucas : yes there is a great variety of attitudes to digital media but it's quite mundane to see it as an age dependent differnce. One of the most interesting points Nielsen makes is actually that of "media literacy" and how this correlates to the culture, history and level of education of a population. 

What is interesting, for instance is that Germans do not seem to buy into the fake-news driven propaganda that seems to be ever pervasive while Italians and British are actually much more senistive.

It is a fact that the way people view digital media largely depends on our age and on what we have grown up with.  Different generations trust social media differently.  Younger people seem to be more trusting of social media and less concerned with their privacy.

Digital technologies perform better than humans in many areas, it would be fun to have a comparison between the two in all the areas, like it was a basket match. Like:

driving: Human 83 - Machines 17

swimming: Human 100 - Machines 0

walking: Human 54 - Machines 46

play chess: Human 31 - Machines 69

In this rankings everyone can participate, and with historical data we could see over time as the number changes