Several years ago, I received a message from a popular social network telling me I had been unilaterally banned. It came out of the blue. There was no appeal process.
I’m still not sure why it happened. I purposely limit my social engagement to inspirational quotes about writing, promoting the work of my friends, sharing pictures of family and promotion of my own work. Something happened to trip a moderator bot’s trigger and I was gone.
There is a misconception about how social media platforms work. There are no first amendment protections behind private walled gardens. When you join the network, you agree to terms of service you’ve probably never read. Most include permission to sell your data to others. Content moderation is controlled by the company. You can be suspended or banned for any reason. The process for reinstatement is convoluted. You are guests in their house. They can throw you out at any time for any reason. You have no rights.
As an author and interviewer, social networks facilitate interactions with my audience. In recent years, many platforms have devolved into a haven for bot farms and fake identities designed to destabilize our democracy and promote the agendas of our enemies. A critical mass of authentic users can be effectively triggered by these coordinated attacks. They influence elections, destroy long cherished friendships and cause painful familial tension. Even the most enlightened platforms struggle to manage these problems, while, at the same time, extrapolating and selling information about us to data aggregators who use it to influence our life decisions.
How do we manage identities in these often-Orwellian worlds?
1) Stick to your strategy. Any point of view you espouse will generate negative feedback. You are not required to weigh in on anything. Decide how you will express your brand and don’t deviate from it. Resist the urge to viscerally respond to inflammatory posts or horrific events. You don’t have to explain what you don’t say.
2) If you must respond, do it outside of the network. Send an email, make a phone call or use a secure messenger program like Signal. But remember that any response can be copied, taken out of context and reposted by a bad actor.
3) Read the “community guidelines,” with an understanding that they are written by attorneys who have been directed to protect the company’s interests, not yours.
4) Create your own methods for engaging with your audience outside of traditional social media. Associate with clubs and organizations in sync with your goals. Contribute your wisdom and leadership in a positive manner as time permits. Curate an email list which provides value for the recipient. Engage a professional to build a well-designed website. If you’re a blogger share your wisdom there. Experiment with networks that encourage discourse. But realize that these environments can quickly change if the providers decide they want to modify the rules. What you write in your emails and blogs, no matter how benign, can be divisive. Watch your language.
5) Understand that all business endeavors require advertising and promotion. If your budget allows, invest in marketing that has a proven return on investment. Thoroughly research each option. Test multiple messages with custom links so you can track responses. Read and digest as much about sales and marketing as you can. The basic equation for profit includes the cost of sales vs generated income. Every investment, including your time on social networks is part of the sales equation.
6) Adjust. All things must pass. New social networks will be born, thrive and die. New tactical tools emerge, rise and fall. Good and bad things happen in the course of any business relationship. Refocus, reengage, get back up whenever you’re knocked down. The race is not always dominated by the fastest runner. It is often won by the individual who can keep running.
Resilience is the one factor that will ultimately determine your success. Create an engagement strategy that is true to your beliefs and objectives. Modify it as you learn and grow, as your objectives evolve. Identify useful tactics that generate a reasonable return on your investment. Know that everything you do now will be dramatically different over time. Be willing to change with the times, without sacrificing your values.
Bad things happen to good people. Those who can learn from experience and keep showing up will ultimately make their dreams come true.