Corporate Accountability Has Reached A Critical Level In The Internet Age
A recent article with Charles Phillips in New York Times has served to highlight the fact that business professionals are taking a very different tack with regard to how they communicate with their clients and the general public, as opposed to the methods that were employed in the recent past. The reason for this change of strategy is obvious: The world wide web has brought the world together, and this very much includes even the top officers of global conglomerates.
Information Technology Has Rendered Corporate Officers Accountable
It would seem that the massive global explosion of digital information technology has thrust the musings and opinions of millions of individuals into the eye of the media. Suddenly, CEO's and presidents of nations all across the world find themselves in the glare of the social media spotlight, and very much accountable to the public. This development was foreseen by the most far sighted of tech savvy entrepreneurs but, for the majority of people, it has come as a rude awakening.
New Found Freedom For Some, Endless Gaffes For Others
This is not to allege that the coming of the world wide web has been a negative event in the history of mankind. Indeed, the Internet has provided us with a wealth of information and resources that would have been unthinkable to the minds of even the preceding generation of our forebears. However, while some companies and corporate CEO's have benefited immensely from the new found freedom to express themselves in front of an audience of millions, others have stumbled badly in pursuing this same freedom.
A Whole New Level Of Corporate Accountability Is In The Cards
It should be recognized immediately that a whole new level of corporate accountability is in the cards. Companies and CEO's can no longer communicate to the public in quite the same way that they have been used to doing for centuries. For example, if a company is the direct cause of an ecological disaster in some far off corner of the world, they can no longer count on issuing a vaguely worded public relations statement in order to divert attention from the matter.
Adopting A Whole New Approach For Communicating With The Public
Nowadays, word of such corporate neglect or malfeasance travels around the world in an instant, no matter how remote the location it may have occurred in. Not only can the public count on an exact statement of the true facts of the matter, but they can also expect to see crystal clear evidence, via high definition photography and video images, that proves the allegation. It is simply no longer possible to hide the truth from the public. As a result, companies have had to change their tack when dealing with the public.
What Should Be Learned From This New State Of Affairs
Perhaps the main lesson that needs to be learned from this wholly new state of affairs is the fact that a new level of trust and intimacy needs to be developed between the public at large and the corporations that sell goods and services to it. Without this trust, it will be impossible for companies to develop the necessary good will that enables them to stay in business for the foreseeable future.
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