Social media critics, jerks and trolls

So you say you want a big social media presence? First, ask yourself how thick is your skin? I’m not sure how direct the relationship, but it is a certainty that with increased social media visibility comes increased scrutiny.

Seems obvious, right? This is not a surprise to public relations professionals, whose experience pre-social media was the larger the organization, the larger the market, the greater the amount of mass media attention.

While that’s true, a huge difference is also proving to be true. Social media also attracts a different crowd—less polite, more vulgar and less rationale. Those people now interact directly with the organization, grab headlines and infuriate the public relations professional.

If you’re a high school basketball standout, making the decision to attend a university, here is what it looks like on twitter:

If you’re the President of the United States, every tweet is subject to a barrage of insanity.

And what if you’re the Pope, attempting to spread love throughout the twitter-verse? Well...

So how should you deal with the critics, jerks and trolls? Here are a few suggestions.

1.     Determine ahead of time to what and in what situations you will respond. Have a plan and don’t get emotionally suckered into responding. The biggest social media mistakes are made when someone tweets in an emotionally elevated state. Restraint can be an effective strategy.

2.     Consider “real-world” interactions. Ask yourself if you were conversing with this person in a public place, how would you respond? Would you ignore the person and walk away from the situation? Would you try to elaborate on your position? Would you present your argument in a slightly different way? The answers in the “real-world” and social media perhaps should be the same.

3.     Understand the audience. You will want to consider the goals of the person inviting your reply. The person may be genuinely interested in your response; however, the person may be posting so that their friends can “like” their clever and sarcastic comment. In my opinion, the former demands your attention, while the later does not.

The truth is, criticism comes with a large social media presence. This is the reality for public relations professionals, but for most of us, our audiences are there as well though. We must be there, and we must learn to manage our relationships with critics, jerks and trolls, as best as possible.