The Negative Side of Social Media

BCOM/275

October 21, 2014
University of Phoenix

Negative Side of Social Media

There are two sides to every argument: right and wrong, and pros and cons. The side of the argument today will focus on the negatives of social media only. There are several cons to the argument of whether social media is beneficial; the nuisance of having to keep pace with changes, monitoring daily users comments, as well as some legal risks.
Negative Side of Social Media Social media is such a strong trend in advertising and is often a useful tool for businesses to utilize, however, disadvantages also exist. When using social media as an advertising tool, there is the accepted risk of giving a part of the brand’s management and reputation to customers and employees. If there is someone that believes he or she was treated unfairly that person can use the social media site to voice his or her issues with the public. This negative feedback on social media can lead to loss of credibility and damage any prospected new clients of the company. Even if the company tries to remove any negative comments, customers may believe that the company is trying to hide something. There are so many social media websites that it can make it difficult for a company to decide which one(s) to use. If the wrong site were chosen, it can negatively affect the business’s success. A few of the most popular sites are Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, and Pinterest. All of the social media sites have a different way to post a comment, and all of them are constantly changing and updating that it can be difficult for one person to keep up with. Therefore, the company would need to hire employees that only deal with the social media content that is posted and assure that the targeted audience is being reached. The use of social media can also open a business up to legal risks that may be associated with false advertising and the possibility of confidential information being leaked to the public. For example, an Australian court fined a company in 2011 for comments about its products on its Facebook page. Even though any of the employees did not post the comments, it was ruled that the comments were misleading because the company did refute or remove them. The cost of using social media websites for advertising can become steep if not managed well. Even though the use of the social media sites is free, the cost to pay for employees to effectively use them is the hidden cost of social media. It sounds simple enough to hire someone to be on social media sites all day posting comments, videos, or slideshows. However, the employee that the company hires must have comprehensive insight and knowledge of the sites as well as produce quality content. The company will also have to pay for the employee’s time he or she used to research, plan, and publish the quality content expected from him or her. The company must also consider the cost it would take to produce a quality video clip if a professional videographer were to do it.
Conclusion
There are several cons to the argument of whether social media is beneficial; the nuisance of having to keep pace with changes, monitoring daily users comments, as well as some legal risks. Now that social media is such a strong trend in advertising and it is often a useful tool for businesses to utilize the disadvantages also exist and must be taken into consideration by the company that chooses to use it.

References
"14 Social Media Pros and Cons." ClickZ. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2014. .
"Defusing the Corporate Social Media Timebomb." readwrite. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2014. .