Gullibility and the Case for Monitoring Social Media

They say no good deed goes unpunished. I'm sure that's just how the folks at American Airlines are feeling these days after being victimized by a hoax on Twitter related to the tragic earthquake in Haiti.

The airline has an admirable record of stepping up in the face of disasters around the world, and this time was no different: American flew several planes loaded with relief supplies to Haiti within 48 hours of the event. The company even offered bonus miles to members of its frequent flier program for making donations to the American Red Cross's relief efforts.

But American suddenly found itself on the defensive when someone falsely tweeted that the airline would fly any doctor or nurse free of charge to Haiti to join in humanitarian efforts there. The hoax spread like wildfire on Twitter and elsewhere, even slipping into the Twitter stream of The New York Times social media editor Jennifer Preston. Similarly false stories about UPS and JetBlue soon emerged.

It's not even worth trying to imagine what would compel someone to put out this kind of misleading information in the first place . . . the world is full of creeps, and social media allows them to wield an amazing amount of influence. But I do believe there are two powerful lessons to be learned here.

First, if you're a corporate communicator and your organization isn't monitoring social media channels in real time, 24/7, what the heck are you waiting for? Your company's reputation is one inventive crackpot away from being possibly damaged beyond repair. Kudos to American, UPS and JetBlue for not only being aware of the misinformation being spread, but for setting the record straight swiftly and decisively.

Second, since diligent fact-checking exists only among traditional media (except The New York Times, apparently), we should all remember the lack of transparency that exists in the social arena. I predict that one day marketplace demands will forge the creation of a "truth engine" of sorts that will vet the accuracy of social media content. Until then it's Caveat Avis: Let the Tweeter Beware.