The Myrtle Beach tourism lobby and some Myrtle Beach bureaucrats continue to define social media as the evil to all things tourism. These leaders, meanwhile, echo the merits of “journalistic integrity”, supposedly offered by corporate media, disregarding the earthquake occurring underneath their feet.
THE PLATFORM AND ACCESS
In the recent past, content was not the main thing. Sadly, access was. In the 1970’s, the best news story or best conceptual ideas could only be heard if ABC, CBS, NBC, or PBS granted access to the individual holding such information. Then came cable, but platforms were still limited to about 42 main channels, many of which were owned and merged with others on the broadcast band. [Example: ABC, ESPN, DISNEY – owned by the same group]
Today, an interruptive explosion of access is happening. Broadcasting today is personal. A kid with a cell phone and a social media account can Livestream, put up his or her own photos, videos, opinions or news feeds.
WHY THIS MATTERS FOR MYRTLE BEACH
“This is awful,” says the Myrtle Beach Tourism Lobby. “Misinformation is getting out there.”
The truth is both greater information, as well as, misinformation are each getting out there. The social community, however, is not as stupid as elected leaders and corporate media would have us believe. The community, over the long haul, is sorting out the reality between fact and fiction…AND THEY WILL. Tourism destinations, like North Myrtle Beach and Pawleys Island, have not suffered because of the rise of Social Media.
This matters mainly because the approaches of the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce have not fully yet grasped the importance of this shift as they spend a good portion of over $22 million annually of our tax dollars in corporate media concerns.
The key reason this matters, however, is because some local elected Myrtle Beach leaders, tourism lobby leaders, and city administrators are considering spending a good portion of their time in 2018 policing and attempting to control social media.
Social media is millions of rain drops falling from the sky at once. Attempting to control personal broadcasting is futile and, quite frankly, a waste of tax payer monies and time.
Perhaps leading it would be a better use of that time.
Research continues to show the best ways to lead social media is to listen first, respond transparently, and provide the brand that you claim to provide in your promotional efforts.