#Scandalous

Social media has exploded, everyone and their mothers are tweeting, pinning and instagramming. Us "normal" people have to be mindful, to some extent, about what we post online. But nothing compares to the uproar that will transpire if a celebrity, athlete, political figure or even fashion designer dare say the wrong thing on social media. Communication in our culture is changing and because of this global cultural transmissions can happen at an alarming rate. 

In 2012, designer Kenneth Cole tweeted "Millions are in uproar in #Cairo. Rumor is they heard that our new spring collection is available online.”, trying to make light of the protests in Egypt and promote his spring collection. Even though Cole deleted his tweet and issued a public apology, his tweet will forever remain on the web and not only possibly affect his brand but also negatively affect cultures beyond those here in the United States. 

A similar PR problem happened during the wrath of hurricane Sandy. American Apparel held a "Hurricane Sandy Sale" that featured a 20% discount off everything. They issued an email to all their customers explaining the sale and "In case you're bored during the storm" you should use the next thirty-six hours to shop online. This email was photographed and posted all over social media, never to be erased. 

The Internet allows cultural boundaries to be crossed and with this, mass misinterpretation can be a result. I think the hardest thing to accept with social media is that once something is published, it will never disappear. Time and time again people have made the mistake of putting something on social media that they will later regret. Why isn't anyone learning their lesson? 

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Perfect Transmissions: Evil Bert Laden