Public Interest and Private Rights in Social Media

Citation

(2014), "Public Interest and Private Rights in Social Media", Journal of Accounting & Organizational Change, Vol. 10 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/JAOC-10-2013-0087

Public Interest and Private Rights in Social Media

Article Type: Book review From: Journal of Accounting & Organizational Change, Volume 10, Issue 1

Edited by Reiman, C.
Chandos Publishing
Oxford
2012

Richard Messik, one of 17 contributors to Public Interest and Private Rights in Social Media, poignantly describes in the introduction to his chapter that, “the ability to disseminate information has played a pivotal role in the development and intellectual growth of the human race” (p. 145). Although historically the printing press is viewed as a key formative advancement in the dissemination of information to a wider audience, Messik suggests the growth of the internet and social media are no less important in the history of communication, having profoundly changed the way people share information and communicate with one another.

While the internet is an invention of the late twentieth century, social media is a product of the twenty-first century’s “pivotal progression in the science of communication” (p. 146). Social media platforms are varied and endless in use and purpose, allowing content, opinions, perspectives, and media to be shared, and facilitate the active participation of users in the creation of content. From YouTube to Twitter, to Facebook, to blogs, social media pervades almost every aspect of many of our lives – defining how we communicate with our friends and family, how we work, and even how we learn.

In Public Interest and Private Rights in Social Media, editor Cornelis Reiman (PhD, CA) has compiled a series of essays by academic and professional experts that offer insight into and an analysis of the use, impact, and future of social media. In his preface, Reiman describes the book and outlines that it: provides an overall guide to the key components of corporate and academic use of social media; examines the rising influence of social media in public and political opinion making; considers the socio-political impacts and legal issues of social media; and presents technological and non-technological, legal, and international perspectives from highly knowledgeable and well-respected practitioners in their fields (pp. xv-xvi). He goes onto to state that the book is specifically aimed at practitioners, academics, and students in the areas of information science, management and systems, as well as communications and marketing. However, he explains – and I agree – that given the book’s focus on public interest and private rights in social media, the target audience is far more wide-reaching and the essays are relevant to those in various professions (including accounting).

The book consists of 12 chapters/essays, each covering a timely and relevant topic. Chapter 1 (pp. 1-19) – Reiman’s own – is introductory in nature and provides a brief history of the rise of social media platforms. It broadly examines the increasing use of social media in political and social activism, the workplace, private life, and society at large; and explores the legal implications associated with the use of social media. Chapter 2 (pp. 25-44) explores the tension between US First Amendment rights and the harm caused by the organisation of large groups of people in so-called “flash mobs” through social media. While flash mobs are often associated with artistic expression (e.g. improvisational comedy, choreographed dances), the author examines flash mobs for political organisation, and those with even more nefarious purposes such as theft. The author suggests that US states should link any punishment for flash mob organisation to the likelihood of harm, and not the medium of organisation, i.e. social media, thereby protecting First Amendment rights. While the chapter is heavily focused on the US legal context, it nonetheless raises a number of legal issues associated with the use of social media for group/“mob” organisation that are pertinent to all legal jurisdictions.

Chapter 3 (pp. 45-66) provides an analysis of what constitutes the rule of law in different countries and discusses the Rule of Law Index in considering the legal impact upon social media, and poses a pertinent question: social media – chance or challenge? Chapter 4 (pp. 67-78) – which I particularly enjoyed – explores the way in which people communicate something of themselves to others within social media, and how this shapes society. Comparing social networking sites to panopticon, where both guards and prisoners are always being monitored, the authors examine how social media users’ actions and words are tracked and archived and where non-participation may not always be the wisest option. They make a fascinating point that capitalism and data protection are diametrically opposed. Social networking has created an economy of data, where personal and even private information is traded for attention. Consequently, they urge readers to query the value of their participation in social media; that is, to consider what is their “economic potential” in exchanges that take place online.

Chapter 5 (pp. 79-96) examines critical issues that should be considered before any social media communication strategy is devised and implemented by public sector and not-for-profit organisations. Chapter 6 (pp. 97-114) similarly addresses the not-for-profit sector, offering examples of how social media can be used to pursue humanitarian outcomes. Whether the purpose is to broadcast the core message, engage with people in need, or interact with existing or prospective donors, the authors offer readers a number of instructive examples. In Chapter 7 (pp. 115-128) the authors discuss social media and social capital, and how these two concepts are linked. They present the various forms of social media that exist, and specifically discuss which ones may be applicable to an educational setting – particularly to business students. I found this chapter to be highly relevant from a teaching standpoint. As a lecturer I am constantly reminded that students expect the use of social media and other internet-mediated tools for learning. This chapter provides some relevant and useful examples of how these can be implemented in a class setting to improve learning. For example, the authors suggest the use of wikis, discussion forums, blogs, Twitters, and other synchronous collaborative learning environments in business education to not only assist in learning, but also in the development of work-readiness skills, technological competence, communications skills, online literacy skills, and collaborative skills (p. 120).

In Chapter 8 (pp. 129-144) the authors provide an overview of changing patterns of transparency in organisations. Greater transparency is said to have powerfully positive results, such as stimulating ethical behaviour, better communication patterns and more open stakeholder relationships. However, greater transparency can also bring negative outcomes for organisations by publicly exposing organisational issues and sensitive information. Policies that encourage organisational transparency can offer democratic, open, and equitable communication with stakeholders, but if misused they can also lead to significant economic exposure and even corporate collapse. Transparency must therefore, be managed thoughtfully and requires clear protocols.

Chapter 9 (pp. 145-152) considers the challenges and opportunities offered by social media to the corporate sector. In Chapter 10 (pp. 153-174) the author highlights what is needed to maximise efficiency when perusing communication strategies via social media. In Chapter 11 (pp. 175-196) the author explores the issues and advantages of social analytics for public relations, branding, advertising, and sales in commercial, not-for-profit, and public sector organisations. Finally, in Chapter 12 (pp. 197-215) – in contrast to Chapter 4 – the author posits that our future will be one where social media applications will foster altruism – selflessness will grow as a result of increased use of social media applications, where productive connections between like-minded people can be mad with progressively more ease.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book and believe that it offers a practical introduction to social media, and thoughtful analyses of the issues underpinning contemporary social media usage. However, I suggest that readers looking to understand a particular area of social media would find it more beneficial reading a book that focuses on that specific topic instead. The chapters are very accessible and not too technical. They are also well researched and scholarly. While a number of the chapters relate to a US context, they nonetheless raise some pertinent issues for an international audience. The book also offers analyses from a private, not-for-profit and public sector perspective and is therefore relevant to a wider audience.

For accounting academics and practitioners, the book raises some interesting issues to consider from a reporting and accountability perspective. The rise of the internet and social media has presented a set of challenges and opportunities for the way accounting information is prepared, propagated, and analysed (Saxton, 2012, p. 286). Organisations (and corporations in particular) are increasingly reporting their economic, social, and environmental accounting online. Furthermore, a number of organisational stakeholders (particularly those that campaign against various dimensions of corporate activity) are also mobilising social media to disseminate their own perspectives on organisational accountability (Gallhofer and Haslam, 2006; see also related literature on social and environmental accounting, and counter-accounting/external accounting). Accounting research concerning this area is scarce, and the essays contained in this work thus offer potential themes and topics for future accounting research.

Sendirella George
Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand

References

Gallhofer, S. and Haslam, J. (2006), “Online reporting: accounting in cybersociety”, Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Vol. 19 No. 5, pp. 625–630
Saxton, G.D. (2012), “New media and external accounting information: a critical review”, Australian Accounting Review, Vol. 22 No. 3, pp. 286–302