Accountability At Last (Lauren Mesley - Blog Post #3)

 


Something that got me thinking this week was the “organizational risks” that companies face when they launch their brand on social media. Among the risks in question are the amplification of negative publicity and audience backlash. The concept of these risks is not novel—companies have always been subject to customer feedback whether they wanted it or not—what’s new about social media is the scale at which these risks now exist. 

When the video of a passenger being violently removed from an United flight went viral, United’s stock dropped by $1.4 billion in market value. When Balenciaga’s problematic ad showing children holding bondage-gear-wearing teddy bears received public backlash, Balenciaga lost about 100,000 Instagram followers. When H&M posted an ad featuring a young Black boy wearing a hoodie with "Coolest Monkey in the Jungle" printed on it, their sales dropped significantly and some stores in South Africa saw demonstrations that trashed their locations (source).

The consequences of making a publicity mistake have never been so severe. But should we assume this is a bad thing? For the first time in history, customers have the power to hold massive corporations accountable for their problematic behavior. The United video went viral because their response to an overbooked flight was unacceptable and horrifying. Balenciaga lost so many followers because their ad sexualized children. H&M received such a strong response to their hoodie ad because it was insensitive and racist. Major corporations should be facing vast consequences for these mistakes; cultural competency is non-negotiable. 

To take this one step further, this new way to hold corporate giants accountable has started going beyond negative reactions to marketing campaigns. People are using this platform to support social justice movements by calling for boycotts and whistleblowing. Believe me, I’m the first person to point out all of the faults with social media platforms, but when it comes to accountability, there’s never been a better tool. 
 

Comments

  1. Lizzy SblendorioSeptember 19, 2025 at 2:00 PM

    Having social media can be either a good thing or a negative thing. You gave a perfect example of the negative impact social media can have. For a video to go viral on any platform, no one realizes the things that can happen afterwards. People now have a say on everything in the internet world. Your example of the United flight being overbooked showcases the damage of social media and companies. Individuals can take anything to the internet and make comments about either a really good or really experience. The affect of social media with certain companies can either be long term or short term. I thought of a great example that aligns with your post, a lot of individuals are cancelling their Disney+ subscriptions. Why? Because of the Jimmy Kimmel suspension. Social media has that power, to control and make others aware of things going on around the world.

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  2. AnonymousSeptember 20, 2025 at 2:29 PM

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