Fake News, Disinformation – words that unfortunately became parts of our everyday lives. In the face of inescapable information bombardment, and increasing social unrest companies must fight disinformation.
In today’s world less and less things stay constant other than the unstoppable flow of information. What makes this even more problematic are the blurring lines between advertising, entertainment and information. With the rise of genres like “Infotainment”, consumers are in a constant struggle to distil the truth.
News and Advertising Changed
MARKETING DIGITAL and Advertising had become so sophisticated, that some forms of it are almost unrecognisable as promotions. Brands care more about how they help customers throughout their life journey rather than exact products. These processes made it more difficult to distinguish between contents. Sources are getting more and more obscured.
Unfortunately, with this transformation also came a greater sense of distrust. We are in an era when one cannot be sure if the content they consume is credible, authentic, and does not have any ulterior motives. In the case of Fake News this problem is magnified and leads to serious unrest, or even worse, tragedy.
Distrust is Bad for Business
In academics, Internet Literacy is at the forefront of contemporary education. It is time for companies to follow suit. Because, if customers become so cynical that they stop believing in anything, then real value will cease to matter for them.
Companies have to fight disinformation. Because, even if they are the most beneficial choice on the market, people will only see them as another empty promise. People will perceive eminent catastrophes as hoaxes, leading to devastating crises. So it is time to act on those Corporate Social Responsibility goals and make an effort to educate the public.
Companies can react to these changes much faster than governmental agencies, and if they do not pay attention now, they might very well loose much of their customers to disinformation campaigns.
Honesty, Transparency and Community
Luckily, communities are eager to join the conversation, to share their opinion on the topic. In many cases they are prepared take part in the efforts, if there is opportunity and the campaign is indeed valuable. Companies need to capitalise on this trend in order to generate trust, not only in their brand, but in society as a whole.
Organisations should display meaningful Honesty, Transparency and Clarity about how they operate, what their goals are. This way, consumers can get familiar with the corporation, and experience a meaningful connection with it. Showing our soft, white underbelly restores trust, if it is not done only as an empty virtue signal.