In this economy of attention, the digital revolution and social media, organizations face a new phenomenon of debate in the public space that requires for them to manage the challenges of virality, channel multiplication, active 24/7 conversations and the speed of communication online. Moreover, the possible relevance of information created by third parties, misinterpretation of messages, the protection of anonymity, the impact of social networks on traditional media and, of course, the permanent footprint and its possible impact on the reputation of a person or brand
An important factor to always have present is the impact of fake news on the polarization of social debates. Online communication is often concentrated in communities with different opinion blocks and positions. This “news” has the role of closing communities, reinforcing prejudice and extreme postures. And they do it because they consolidate perceptions that we already have, just like popular memes. Pure anthropology, which reflects a classic social and cultural behavior that finds in digitization a possibility of dissemination and “viralization” never seen before.
In this context, it seems clear that we must rethink the rules of the game of this society of change (in which globalization and digitization come together) and co-create formulas to minimize these perverse effects. The political sphere is discussing the regulation of content and formats and the role of the state and large internet companies. The latter already offer solutions such as artificial intelligence to detect fake news and bots. But it is clear that we also need non-technological strategies. As a society, we must foster a substantial public debate and propose initiatives in the fight against misinformation: training, spaces for reflection and criticism, education in the micro responsibility and inclusion of the most vulnerable by the lack of knowledge of technology.
Our years of consulting experience have allowed us to establish five major keys to virality management from organizations/companies’ outwards.
- Watch and listen, monitoring in real time the about us conversation.
- Strengthen our own channels, with profiles in the digital environment that allow the company to talk about who they are, how they act and what they believe in. Society forgives for imperfection, but not the lack of transparency.
- Review the communication style, retiring the classic and ineffective corporate rhetoric – aseptic, technical, hyperrational, with a certain tendency to complacency and no credibility of the public opinion – rather connecting reason and emotion.
- Find allies to help spread the real version of the story, which is crucial in times of micro-influence.
- Manage speed, knowing how to react in real time. The gossip rhythm can be critical for a fake news story to become a perception of reality.
In short: take the wheel and move from object to active subject in the conversation.
