By John Durante
The insightful and frequently provocative Brain Solis recently posted an excellent blog on the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) intent to regulate “paid” and “non-paid” Twitter activity. His post thoroughly explores the issues and mechanics of such a move. I highly recommended it.
As efforts increase to monetize the enormous and growing amount of social media activity, those of us in marketing and public relations who rely on social media should expect more discussion about industry self-regulation, consumer protection, posting standards and the like. Naturally, broad disagreement will emerge from opposing corners about the need for “standards” in the first place and certainly about any government regulation. But amid the deafening and rapidly growing cacophony of new media platforms and their application in both social and commercial communication, it’s wise to recall these discussions are a natural part of “media evolution” in American culture. That’s been true since Sarnoff first flipped a radio switch.
In fact, broadcast historians might recognize the similarities between the chaos at the beginning days of commercial American radio and what we now face in the social media world. When radio first appeared, nothing regulated it except the speed at which manufacturers could build and get receivers into the hands of consumers. The licensing of frequencies, time of on-air operation, accountability in using the public’s electromagnetic radio spectrum and wattage of signal were all issues that had yet to be confronted. And it showed.
Stations frequently “blew one another off the air”, not through better programming, but via their signal strength. This continued until Congress acted in 1927 and under Secretary of Commerce Hoover (yes that Hoover), formed the Federal Radio Commission. Through the Commission’s efforts of assigning frequencies and station “power,” broadcasters could freely communicate without signal interference. Over time, under the successor Federal Communications Commission, additional regulations, court challenges of the government’s efforts, voluntary industry standards, new public licensing procedures and technological advancements rapidly transformed radio from a cacophony of carnival barkers to a forceful and important American industry.
I can only wonder: is the next period in the development of social media going to be the 1920s revisited?
John Durante is senior marketing associate for WordWrite Communications.
