One of the great powers of social media is its immediacy. Brands, business and political leaders, influencers and others can reach out to their audiences in real time, holding nearly live conversations across the planet.
That strength, though, is also its Achilles’ heel. This was made clear in two news stories that broke earlier this week, nearly concurrently.
In one, Elon Musk shared his regret on X for posts about President Trump that “went too far.”
In the other, ABC News parted ways with well-known correspondent Terry Moran, who “published an incendiary post on X about Trump aide Stephen Miller.”
Both stories were reported widely.
The lesson in this, of course, is clear. Pause for a bit before you hit that “post” button to share your thoughts and opinions with the world. Even if you feel they’re benign.
This seems completely obvious. And many corporate leaders have entire teams that oversee their social-media activity, among other checks. Yet, these things still happen.
Why? Perhaps it’s the desire to get fresh ideas out there right away. Or the very nature of online conversations, where it’s natural to jump into ongoing discussions. Or the remarkable ease of typing a post or comment on your phone and letting it rip.
Personally, I always try to let something I’ve just written sit a bit and marinate before sharing broadly. I find when I come back to it, I have a bit more perspective and can better polish the prose and hone the thinking.
When it comes to topics that are at all controversial, this approach moves from optimal to critical. The downside can be epic.
Farrell Kramer 