Yes we are not Tiger Woods. But what happened to him can and has happened to people like you and I.
To navigate this media community well, you need to understand how things have changed in the media world.
Today with social media, people get their “own news”, that is, news relevant to them, news they are interested in, rather than general news “out there”. When Singapore’s Orchard Road was flooding, most Singaporeans got the news of the unusual occurrence from a post in their Facebook or Twitter. Few waited for the evening news or read about it the next day. People want news relevant to them and they get it when they want it. A big change from appointed viewing on TV or reading the newspapers.
The pervasive power of social media hasn’t gone unnoticed by commercial companies. In fact, most companies today have a social media strategy, via Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. They know the new breed of consumers use social media for everything from the selection of restaurants to shopping and banking. For consumers, it goes beyond self-expression now; it has become a functional part of their lifestyle. And these companies understand the one most important characteristic of social media – consumers seek dialogue with companies rather than to be talked at by them. They want companies to behave like a friend and not a company.
What you do or say in public, you need to be upfront and honest. You see, in this media community, everyone and anything can be searched. If you try to hide or embellish, you can be quickly found out. So don’t lie. Your lie will stay somewhere in the World Wide Web and it has a habit of showing up when you least expect it. In Singapore, there was the case where a pastor made insensitive remarks about Buddhist and Taoist beliefs. He was investigated last year for a remark he made in 2008 when a 10-minute audio-clip was posted on Youtube.
Understand also what is private can easily become public; national becomes international. By now you must have heard of Nazril Irham or “Ariel” and his model girlfriend Luna Maya – celebrities in Indonesia whose sex tapes were so wildly circulated that police had to raid Internet cafes and schools looking through cellphones of thousands of students across Indonesia. Why did the celebrity do it? He probably thought it would not spread in a Muslim country, in Hong Kong yes but not in Indonesia. He was not only wrong, Ariel is now in jail, and some even accused him of “moral terrorism”.
What does all these developments in the media community tell us today? Well, Rule 1, if you don’t want anyone to know, don’t do it or have it. What you do or say can easily come back to haunt you. Rule 2, when the cat is out of the bag, don’t expect anyone to bail you out. You are on your own; no one wants to come close. When a case is not public, you are likely to get sympathisers, when it is public, even your family members may fear implication not to mention your colleagues and company you work for. Christian Dior had to fire John Galliano when a video showing him spouting “I love Hitler” went viral, however talented and valued. Rule 3, information has been democratized, understand the media herd mentality, no matter how correct you are, sympathies will always be with the underdog. There are many cases to support this, ask Tiger Woods. Media will embrace the underdogs even when they are porn stars.
And finally, Rule 4, if something actually happened, come clean as soon as possible. Contrast Tiger Wood’s initial silence to US talk show host, David Letterman. When Letterman was blackmailed about affairs with his staff, he confessed on his own show even before it hit the press. His scandal vanished in weeks. Woods still nurses his shame today and hasn’t been in any shape to win a single title.
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