How About We Try Being ‘All In This Together’ On Social Media, Too?

One of the many consequences of COVID-19 has been the chance it offers us to rethink, recalibrate and reframe our lives. It’s a chance for a divided world to come together, a chance for kindness and compassion to triumph over hate, a chance to reaffirm our faith in science over partisan rhetoric that rings false even to those of us without PhDs.

I’ve been considering ways brand managers can combat the age of rage for a few years now—offering what counsel I can on how to ward off the verbal blows of the trolls, the shouters and haters. And—especially important in my line of work—how to counter the spread of mistruths and fake “facts.”

As if this pandemic weren’t enough for us to deal with, this virus has also unleashed an unhealthy miasma of disinformation. I was troubled to receive an email from Yonder a few days ago, saying that 5% of all online posts on COVID-19 are politically motivated. Worse still, these posts are responsible for driving 16% of online engagement about the virus.

Intentionally inaccurate information is damaging at any time. We know full well that it can interfere with elections, sow discord, and influence decision-makers in worrisome ways. During a pandemic, it poses an even more immediate threat.

Unfortunately, misinformation about COVID-19 abounds, from quack cures and vaccines not yet in existence to the claim by the president of former Soviet republic Belarus that drinking vodka and taking a sauna keeps the virus at bay. Believe me, I’m not much of a drinker, but I’d be sipping a Bloody Mary right now if that were the case.

The question facing governments during this pandemic is the same one we in comms have faced increasingly often in recent years: How do you correct a false narrative—especially when that narrative aligns with many people’s political leanings and prejudices?

It can be tempting for people to give up. To simply ignore the lies and ugliness of social media and hope that the truth will eventually win out. (Spoiler alert: It typically doesn’t.) That head-in-the-sand approach isn’t feasible for brand communicators. We have no choice but to be out there creating and defending our brands. Problem is, doing so makes us lightning rods to anyone with a grievance, legitimate or not.

As readers of my blog know, I’m no stranger to being caught in the crosshairs. It can be personal and unpleasant. But at least I can share what I’ve learned.

• As tempting as it is to stay in the shadows, it’s not a sustainable solution. You’re excluding yourselves from vital conversations and missing out on potential collaborations and opportunities to educate. Instead, stand up to the sowers of confusion and discord. Show the world who you are.
• Choose your battles wisely and rally your troops. Bullies thrive when their targets stay silent, so pick the moment where it makes sense to fight back. Be polite, but firm. Above all, engage with them in public. And let friends and colleagues know what’s happening so they can have your back.
• This is a risky one, but I’ve seen it work: Remind the haters that you’re human—a real person with a real life, a real family, and a real response to pain and relentless attacks. Some people will be hoping for such a response, giddy and re-energized to have drawn “blood.” I have found over the years, though, that some otherwise reasonable people genuinely forget that there are actual humans behind the usernames. There was a great example of this a couple of years ago when the American comedian Sarah Silverman responded to a crude and angry tweet with love and kindness. Her troll came out from under the bridge and shared a bit of his life and desperation with her. She, in turn, encouraged her followers to help him with his financial and medical woes—and they did. It’s not always going to end with everyone holding hands and singing “Kumbaya,” but sometimes progress will be made. And sometimes an apology is all you need to heal.
• Venture into “enemy” territory and communicate with people outside your base. Sometimes you’ll find yourself beating a hasty (and rueful) retreat; other times, though, you may just discover an opportunity to build bridges and engage in constructive dialog.
• Listen. Many of us marketers haven’t quite mastered that skill—and I assure you it didn’t come naturally to me—but it’s essential in this age of rage. I have found that while some people rant and rave simply to bully or provoke, others are genuinely aggrieved. Yell back, and they won’t hear a word. Sit back, digest what they’ve said, and reply with a polite, considered response, and you might just turn a rage fest into a conversation.
• Humor is a powerful weapon when you can pull it off. Greta Thunberg should be offering a master class.
• Breathe. Avoid responding immediately. Better a thoughtful response than an angry riposte that will live on in cyberspace till the end of time.
• Lastly, play the long game. One-upping or exposing the hypocrisy of someone on social media may make you feel good, but scoring a point off someone is never as valuable as getting your point across.

All these lessons start and end with a conversation—preferably, a civil one. Your job—our job—is to persistently counter mistruths with facts. In the context of this pandemic, it’s to fight for the supremacy of science over scaremongering and willful ignorance.

If we are relentless about adhering to the truth, reason—rather than rhetoric and rumors—will prevail.