domenicsavage

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Social Media Ethics

Hey, blog quick bullet point session today on the current state of social media ethics. Social media has evolved from a simple communication tool to a global powerhouse that shapes public discourse, influences opinions, and drives consumer behavior. With its huge outreach comes a significant ethical responsibility. Whether you're a brand, an influencer, or an everyday user, the choices made online can have lasting impacts. In this post, I’ll explore the current trends in social media ethics, provide examples of ethical and unethical practices, and outline key concepts that I will follow as a practicing social media professional.

Social media platforms and influencers are being held accountable for the accuracy and disclosure of their content, particularly with regards to sponsored posts and advertisements. Platforms are under pressure to balance free speech alongside the need to curb misinformation and harmful content, particularly during political elections or public health crises.

 Instagram has been criticized for its impact on mental health, particularly for young users. Reports from whistleblowers have raised concerns that Instagram’s algorithm prioritizes content that can be harmful to self-esteem and mental health, leading to ethical debates about its responsibility for user well-being.

Facebook has also faced backlash for its role in spreading misinformation related to politics and public health (during the COVID-19 pandemic). The platform has struggled with ethical dilemmas over how to moderate content without violating freedom of speech while still protecting users from harmful, false information.

Transparency, respect for privacy, accuracy, accountability, authenticity, respect for diversity

Patagonia Known for its commitment to sustainability, Patagonia uses its social media platforms to educate consumers about environmental issues and ethical production practices, with full transparency about their supply chain.

Ben & Jerry’s Actively uses social media to promote social justice causes, demonstrating consistency in its messaging about climate change, human rights, and political activism, while maintaining transparency in their partnerships.

Marie Forleo is an entrepreneur who uses her social media platforms to offer motivational content and business advice. She maintains ethical transparency, offering actionable tips without overselling or exploiting her followers.

Be transparent and authentic and always disclose sponsored content, partnerships, and promotions clearly, so followers can trust the content being presented. Maintain consistency and accountability holding myself or whoever accountable for everything you post or share and ensure it aligns with your values and the ethical guidelines of the platform.

Authenticity to stay true to your personal brand and values. Don’t compromise your authenticity for short-term gains or popularity. Empathy understand the emotional impact of your posts and be considerate of how your content might affect your audience, especially when discussing sensitive topics. Integrity always be truthful, whether you're sharing information or engaging in brand partnerships. Avoid misleading your followers for clicks or profit.

Cyberbullying: Stay away from engaging in or tolerating harmful behavior or online harassment and be proactive in fostering positive interactions.

Cancel Culture: Avoid engaging in or promoting cancel culture, which often unfairly harms people or businesses without due process or understanding.

Misinformation: Avoid sharing or promoting unverified information. Misinformation can damage trust and mislead your audience, especially during sensitive times.

Transparency – Always disclose sponsored content, partnerships, or ads.

 Respect for Diversity and Inclusion – Ensure content is free from bias and promotes inclusivity

Avoid Exploitation – Do not use your audience’s vulnerabilities for personal gain.

Empathy and Sensitivity – Be aware of the emotional impact of your content on your audience.

Accountability – Own up to mistakes and correct them promptly.

By adhering to these principles, I aim to build a social media presence that is responsible, respectful, and ethical, contributing positively to the broader online community. Social media is a powerful tool, and with the right approach, it can be used to create meaningful connections, share valuable knowledge, and make a difference in the world.

[domenicsavage]

Analyzing the Social Media Metrics of the American Heart Association and Ways to Enhance Them

 In our current digital landscape, social media has become a vital resource for nonprofits like the American Heart Association (AHA) to foster awareness, connect with their audiences, and inspire positive change. Nonetheless, it’s important to remember that focusing solely on “vanity metrics” such as likes, shares, and follower counts can be misleading, as these figures don’t always represent the actual impact of their online efforts. This blog post will delve into AHA’s social media activities, assess the vanity metrics from platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube, and explore strategies to pivot toward more meaningful engagement. Additionally, we’ll propose some advanced, channel-specific, and behavioral metrics that could offer valuable insights into their social media performance.

Vanity metrics may appear impressive at first glance but offer real insight regarding actual performance or results. They usually are numbers like likes, followers, or shares—metrics that are visually appealing but don’t significantly advance the organization’s objectives, such as boosting donations, increasing event participation, or influencing heart health behaviors.

Assessing the Vanity Metrics on the American Heart Association’s Social Media Channels the American Heart Association maintains a strong presence on various social media platforms, utilizing each one to convey their message and connect with their audience in distinctive ways. However, an overemphasis on vanity metrics can result in a shallow perception of the actual performance of these platforms.

YouTube:

Vanity Metrics: Views, Subscribers, Likes/Dislikes

On YouTube, views and subscribers are classic vanity metrics. A video may get 100,000 views, but it doesn't tell us how much it moved people toward donating, signing up for events, or learning more about heart health.

Suggestions for Improvement:

Include clear calls to action: In every video, encourage people to act, like donating, attending a fundraising event, or sharing the video with others.

Promote engagement beyond views: Ask viewers to comment on videos, share their own heart-health stories, or get involved in local AHA events. This can move the needle from passive viewing to active involvement.

Instagram:

Vanity Metrics: Likes, Follower Count, Comments

Instagram’s focus on visual content often leads to high numbers of likes or followers, but these metrics don’t speak to whether followers are actively engaging with the content in a way that drives donations or community involvement. Followers count itself is an attractive vanity metric, but it doesn't necessarily translate into deeper engagement or action.

Suggestions for Improvement:

Encourage followers to participate in challenges, contests, or interactive campaigns. For example, creating a hashtag challenge for healthy living or heart health and asking people to share their stories or tips. This would increase meaningful engagement and help move beyond passive likes.

Leverage Instagram Stories: Use polls, question boxes, and "swipe up" links to drive real engagement and facilitate actions like donating or learning more. Highlight success stories or testimonials to build emotional connections.

To go beyond vanity metrics and better measure success, the AHA should track a mix of advanced metrics, channel metrics, and behavioral metrics. These metrics will give a clearer picture of their social media efforts' real-world impact.

Instagram:

Story Engagement: Track how many people engage with Instagram Stories (via polls, links, or questions) versus just watching the content. This shows how interactive the audience is with the content beyond likes and comments.

 YouTube:

Watch Time: Track how much of each video people are watching. A longer watch time means the video keeps the audience engaged, which is a good indicator that the content is resonating and encouraging viewers to act.

In conclusion, while vanity metrics like likes, shares, and followers are easy to track and often look impressive, they don't give the AHA or any nonprofit the full picture of their impact. By focusing on more actionable and advanced metrics, such as donation conversion rates, engagement rates, and click-through rates, they can better assess how effective their social media strategies are at driving real-world impact, whether it's donations, event participation, or general awareness of heart health. it’s about the impact the American Heart Association can have on people’s lives through their social media presence. By shifting focus toward actionable engagement and advanced metrics, the AHA can take their social media strategy to the next level.

[domenicsavage]

First Blog SMC

Hello everyone reading, my name is Domenic savage. I am born and raised in Newport Rhode Island, now live in east providence and I’m 25 years old. I have had a strong passion over the years of social media and being some type of influencer. I’ve got some questions that I must answer throughout this blog post that I’m willing to share my answers with who it may concern. Let’s get into it. How would I define social media? I define social media as a media platform that you can be sociable with other people online. Whether that be friends, lovers or anonymous people throughout the world. It gives you a chance to connect with people that you normally wouldn’t get the chance too. For instance, reaching out to celebrities and commenting on their posts with the hopes that they will see it or respond to you because you are a fan.

 Which brings me into the next question, how would I characterize myself as a social media user? I am the type of social media user who is always on it. I love being updated to date with current trends as well as news, I also have some apps installed because my friends I grew up with we have group chats where we talk and catch up because we don’t see each Other as much anymore. For the most part I am totally consumed by social media my daily screentime is 90% social media apps its bad.

I feel like I have some strengths in understanding social media. The way people promote and convey messages throughout different apps. With my extensive screentime and using my personal pages to try to get more traffic to my accounts. For starters almost every social media app is free to use with in app purchases to make it accessible for everyone to use including myself to connect with others. Building relationships through the apps is a strength I’ve managed to use. Finding a community, you can be relatable with and safe in. there is so much outreach and depending on your post’s promotion is a useful skill. For instance, a short form promotion video could be as simple as a try on haul get paid get clicks make money. Knowing when to post is also a great skill to have, that’s when the engagement will go up if the consistency is there.

To every upside there’s a downside, I have a few challenges with social media. I like everything I see and now my feed is all over the place. I’m also Cleary addicted I have in past deleted the apps to get my mind clear from it and it truly has helped but I have not done it recently maybe I will soon. I another challenge I face is not using my skills to use for my own social media to blow up, the blueprint is there for me to use but I just haven’t been able to put it to use and be consistent.

Moving forward I hope to learn and understand a deeper meaning of social media communication. I have a broad understanding, or maybe a have a deep understanding but I want everything to be pinpoint clear for me. I want to be able to use strategy’s I learn and put them to use for myself or others I may work for in the long run. And be able to help others understand what I learned. Thank you for reading and taking the time out of your day to do so until next time.