Who's Got The Power?

Like millions of other Americans, I am an avid user of social media. I use Facebook on a daily basis, and also belong to Twitter and Pinterest, among others. I use these outlets to keep in touch with friends from high school who I haven't seen in years, friends who have moved away, and even friends who I see on a regular basis. It's an easy way to quickly connect, even easier than a phone call or a text (sometimes!)

Although I "like" some companies like Target, Bath and Body Works and The Gap on Facebook or follow their Twitter feeds, before this course I never really took into account not only the impact social media has on the way that companies communicate, market and advertise to consumers, but the way that the groundswell has shifted power from these companies to the consumers.

In Chapter 11 of Li and Bernoff's Groundswell, they give a perfect example of the power shifting back to consumers because of the groundswell. They share the story of Jeff Jarvis, a journalist and blogger, who shared on his blog the frustration he was feeling with the computer company, Dell. He twice recieved a defective computer and felt that the company wasn't listening to him. Jarvis wrote on his blog:

"Is anyone at Dell listening?...We are in a new era of 'seller beware'. Now when you

screw your customers, your customers can fight back, publish and organize."

 

Dell had a major problem on it's hands. People were taking to social media to trade Dell horror stories, complain about lack of customer service and shoddy computers, and negative attitudes towards Dell were never higher.

 

But then Dell did something many companies fail to do--they took the time to listen. Dell monitored blogs and their own company forms, then started their own blog to address customer concerns. Without the power of the groundswell, it would have been more difficult for the consumer's message to reach Dell.


Another interesting example Li and Bernoff give about power shifting back to the "little people" so to speak, is Best Buy's Blue Shirt Nation.

Blue Shirt Nation was a social media set up by Best Buy exclusively for it's employees. It allowed them to connect with other employees, support each other and also allowed for employees to share their thoughts with the company about how to improve Best Buy.  When Best Buy reduced their employee discount, employees immediately took to Blue Shirt Nation to protest. There was such an overwhelming response from employees, who organized to show their displeasure, that Best Buy reversed their decision and kept the employee discount as is. Without the groundswell, employees of Best Buy would have had a much harder time making such a big impact. Organizing, banding together with stores all across the country would have taken much more time and effort. Using Blue Shirt Nation to their advantage, they were able to make a difference and a change.

Reading Groundswell has made me think quite a bit about the company I work for and Facebook. I am a manager for an early childhood center that has 10 locations across Massachusetts. The company does have a Facebook page that they use to communicate with parents about events, closings and to share general information about the schools. However, employees are discouraged from posting on the schools' Facebook page, responding to their status updates, or even 'liking' their statuses. In fact, today management received an e-mail from corporate asking us to look at the company's Facebook page and see if any teachers from our individual schools commented on recent updates and to speak to them about it.

Perhaps my employers know the power of social media--and how it's given power back to the people. And that, as Best Buy and Dell found out--people can use it bring about change. Something I guess they're just not ready for.