OK, this blog post is not about sniffing chocolate or battling weight or
dealing with the mentality of weight loss.... well, at least not directly.
Without going into detail or invading this family's privacy (because it's not my story to tell), I have a good friend who used the power of social media to address an injustice last week being done to their son by an institutional organization. This friend wrote a blog detailing his family's experience and disappointment with the system in hopes of effectuating change. He was careful, in my opinion, probably too much so, not to attack the organization and remained clearly hopeful that the decision would be reversed. After his blog was noticed and picked up and carried around the social media world, his family received a personal apologyfrom the person who acknowledged they had made a mistake.
The story, however, did not end there. His blog gained tons of comments ranging from supportive of him to attacking the organization to vilifying him for having made a public statement in any way derogatory and proclaiming that the institution which had a long-standing reputation did not deserve to be criticized.
The institution itself, which had remained silent, then finally made a statement online basically defending its reputation, and proclaiming its hard work over many decades. Fine. But then they decided to make a point about the use of social media and the sin of gossip. And my fingers started twitching.
See, here's the reality. Institutions have been allowed to protect themselves for decades with a web of silence and intimidation. Within that cocoon, objections can be raised and quashed, events can be cleaned up, and the spotless reputation of the institution is, to all outward appearances, shiny and clean. It's like when company comes over and all the clutter gets shoved under the bed so no one else sees it.
But the clutter is still there. And now, with the power of social media, matters of injustice and inappropriate behavior CAN be brought to light with a single individual's keystrokes. Of course, there is a responsibility there to be mindful that you don't abuse that power. But for decades, behind closed doors and institutional walls, there were plenty of individuals whose voices were never heard who suffered injustices. Now the tables have turned.
I don't advocate using social media to bash a business because you didn't have a great experience (i.e. you went out to dinner and the food was eh and the service was eh). You as a consumer still have the power to address that by choosing whether or not to return to the restaurant. BUT, when a restaurant (and this actually happened in our town) refused to let a seeing eye dog in with his master, in clear violation of state law, and that story hit the news and social media, that was an important and clear example of an individual standing up for his rights. That restaurant is gone now but the lesson learned remains.
We as consumers, as individuals, now have the power to shine a light on injustice, discriminatory action, and other wrongdoings by organizations, no matter their size. Organizations need to recognize and admit when they have made mistakes if they want their reputations to remain credible and believable. They need to respond to the individual. And, when they have done something wrong, or misguided, they need to be willing to publicly apologize and state how they are going to make a change if they want to be valued and viewed the same way. Had that happened in the original case, had the institution's post simply stated "we acknowledge our mistake and will work harder to ensure it doesn't happen again" I wouldn't be writing this post at all.
Social media has shifted the balance of power. Just like Spiderman says, "with great power comes great responsibility". So blog responsibly, folks. But don't allow injustices to be swept under the rug because you think you don't have the power as an individual to make a difference. You do. And when your cause is just, and your position clear, and your goal is to make the world a better place, if anyone gives you a hard time, they are in the wrong.
Without going into detail or invading this family's privacy (because it's not my story to tell), I have a good friend who used the power of social media to address an injustice last week being done to their son by an institutional organization. This friend wrote a blog detailing his family's experience and disappointment with the system in hopes of effectuating change. He was careful, in my opinion, probably too much so, not to attack the organization and remained clearly hopeful that the decision would be reversed. After his blog was noticed and picked up and carried around the social media world, his family received a personal apologyfrom the person who acknowledged they had made a mistake.
The story, however, did not end there. His blog gained tons of comments ranging from supportive of him to attacking the organization to vilifying him for having made a public statement in any way derogatory and proclaiming that the institution which had a long-standing reputation did not deserve to be criticized.
The institution itself, which had remained silent, then finally made a statement online basically defending its reputation, and proclaiming its hard work over many decades. Fine. But then they decided to make a point about the use of social media and the sin of gossip. And my fingers started twitching.
See, here's the reality. Institutions have been allowed to protect themselves for decades with a web of silence and intimidation. Within that cocoon, objections can be raised and quashed, events can be cleaned up, and the spotless reputation of the institution is, to all outward appearances, shiny and clean. It's like when company comes over and all the clutter gets shoved under the bed so no one else sees it.
But the clutter is still there. And now, with the power of social media, matters of injustice and inappropriate behavior CAN be brought to light with a single individual's keystrokes. Of course, there is a responsibility there to be mindful that you don't abuse that power. But for decades, behind closed doors and institutional walls, there were plenty of individuals whose voices were never heard who suffered injustices. Now the tables have turned.
I don't advocate using social media to bash a business because you didn't have a great experience (i.e. you went out to dinner and the food was eh and the service was eh). You as a consumer still have the power to address that by choosing whether or not to return to the restaurant. BUT, when a restaurant (and this actually happened in our town) refused to let a seeing eye dog in with his master, in clear violation of state law, and that story hit the news and social media, that was an important and clear example of an individual standing up for his rights. That restaurant is gone now but the lesson learned remains.
We as consumers, as individuals, now have the power to shine a light on injustice, discriminatory action, and other wrongdoings by organizations, no matter their size. Organizations need to recognize and admit when they have made mistakes if they want their reputations to remain credible and believable. They need to respond to the individual. And, when they have done something wrong, or misguided, they need to be willing to publicly apologize and state how they are going to make a change if they want to be valued and viewed the same way. Had that happened in the original case, had the institution's post simply stated "we acknowledge our mistake and will work harder to ensure it doesn't happen again" I wouldn't be writing this post at all.
Social media has shifted the balance of power. Just like Spiderman says, "with great power comes great responsibility". So blog responsibly, folks. But don't allow injustices to be swept under the rug because you think you don't have the power as an individual to make a difference. You do. And when your cause is just, and your position clear, and your goal is to make the world a better place, if anyone gives you a hard time, they are in the wrong.
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