Losing Control in Social Media Can be a Good Thing

In this video Alexis Ohanian uses the example of a Greenpeace 'name the whale' poll to demonstrate how losing control of your message can be a good thing. While Greenpeace wanted the whale to have a sensible name they got more attention by providing a silly name then conceding to the wishes of their audience. Importantly while they didn't achieve one small goal, giving the whale a sensible name, the attention that they garnered through the process helped them achieve bigger goals. The most important being that awareness of the issue was increased.

While Mr. Splashy Pants was not their first choice it was their BEST choice.



Here the examples of how the Chinese Government and Barack Obama use and control social media is highlighted. Here it is suggested that a lack of control can be beneficial.