While it is sometimes hard to believe, it wasn’t so long ago that the source of people’s opinions on things was drafted in physical letters where they put pen to paper, then mailed to the editor of a publication. You had to feel very strongly about the situation to sit down and spend the time writing out a letter, digging for the address on where to send it, find a stamp and an envelope, and mail the thing out. Then, if your letter was chosen for publication, you might see it in print.
Today, all of that has been replaced with a computer keyboard and smartphones, the onslaught of social media, and the Internet. Now, if you have any grievances or opinions, all you have to do is scroll to the “contact” page of a site, grab the email address, and instantaneously send them hate mail; complaining about how much you loathe what they are doing for whatever reason you have. Or better yet, you just go and comment on their Facebook page, tag them in a tweet, or roast them in a video shared on Instagram or TikTok. This way, they have it instantly, and they can get back with you the very same day if necessary.
Of course, that is if said company or agency has the coverage to do such a thing or cares to respond at all.
It’s common knowledge that most brands and businesses only have 1-3 people working on their social media at a given time, whereas most only have one person in charge of monitoring and managing social media. (I have an amazing story to tell you about that point being made by a friend of mine on a page I used to work for and how it ended up hurting me in the long run … but that’s a story for another time.)
When you compare 1-3 people per business working on social and the projected 4.55 BILLION people on social media commenting (KEPIOS), it’s easy to see how the average user can overwhelm the typical social media manager. This simply proves we are now in a time when the keyboard is mightier than the pen.
Continue reading “The Pen versus The Keyboard”