The Battle for Public Opinion

 

Hello again!

As social media platforms have emerged and keep growing, they have become battlegrounds for individuals, organizations, and even governments for public opinion. Considering the rapid dissemination of information and the ability for anybody to speak out and voice their own points of view, this online landscape has transformed the dynamic of public opinion formation and communication strategies in many ways. This landscape has shifted the dynamic of public opinion formation and communication strategies by making people feel more comfortable sharing their opinions on the internet and making it easier to communicate them too. I feel that people were less likely to share their public opinion before and with the current online landscape, it makes it easier for people to do so and therefore more frequent because we hold little to no accountability. I also feel as though with the online landscape today it makes it more likely for the people behind the screens to be influenced by big companies or people with credibility.

The key factors contributing to the online battle for public opinion are popularity (what goes viral), algorithms (what your feed shows you), and influencers. There are potential implications, though, regarding society, democracy, and interpersonal relationships. The negative implications include but are not limited to misinformation and polarizing of information. On a more positive note, in terms of society, this also leaves room for the mobilization of social movements. 

Examples of successful and controversial online campaigns that have significantly impacted public opinion are as follows:

Successful online campaign: Apple's "Shot on iPhone" campaign.

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  Underlying communication tactics: With the aim of getting consumers to buy apple products, Apple used tactics emphasizing and showing the capabilities of their products from a 'picture perfect' point of view. Using the "power of the camera" to influence buyers.

Controversial online campaign: Protein World's "Are You Beach-body Ready" campaign.

• Underlying communication tactics: 400 complaints about this campaign promoting weight loss and receiving back-lash for implied body shaming. 

There are some ethical considerations individuals and organizations should take when partaking in the battle for public opinion online. Taking responsibility, maintaining authenticity and transparency between individual/company and users is crucial for when participating in the battle for public opinion. Ensuring truth behind facts before sharing before sharing it will help avoid people misinterpreting or being misinformed.

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