Topics The 40th Public Relations Seminar" held -Social networking and web literacy seminar
The Public Relations Committee of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association of Japan (PMAJ) held the "40th Public Relations Seminar" on November 13, 2023, at the Nihonbashi Life Science Hub (Chuo-ku, Tokyo). The theme of this year's seminar was "SNS/Web Literacy Seminar." Mr. Yuta Sakayori of Zeal Communications, a digital risk consulting firm, was asked to give a lecture, focusing on SNS and its operation, for which many companies in the pharmaceutical industry have established official accounts these days.
Lecture Scene
While the use of SNS is becoming commonplace, digital risks such as information leaks and flame wars are on the rise, and there have been cases of inappropriate videos distributed in a casual manner that have resulted in court cases and claims for damages. There have been cases reported in the media where a casually distributed inappropriate video has resulted in a lawsuit or a claim for compensation for damages.
In this seminar, the importance of understanding the impact of SNS use on companies and society and the need to improve the Internet literacy of each and every user will be explained as basic topics, In addition, as a short topic, he introduced the characteristics of various social networking services (e.g., X, Instagram, LINE), how companies should use them, and the differences between Japan and the U.S.
In addition to the PR Committee members, PR staff from member companies also participated in the seminar via online. In a post-event survey, many participants said, "SNS was a topic of interest to them," indicating a high level of interest in the topic. There were also requests and expectations for future seminar topics, such as, "I would like to hear more about case studies and operation methods specific to the pharmaceutical industry, in addition to basic content such as this seminar.
The following is a transcript of the seminar.
SNS and Web Literacy Seminar
Mr. Yuta Sakayori, Zeal Communications
SNS is an abbreviation for social networking service, which is a membership service that allows registered users to communicate with each other. This means that about 82 million people are using SNSs in Japan as a whole. Therefore, it is important to respect diverse values and perspectives when communicating on social networking services.
Recently, we often hear about the risks of using social networking services and the news of "flames". Flames" refers to a situation in which a scandal, gaffe, outburst, etc. on the Internet triggers a flood of accusations and criticism that cannot be contained. In addition, since it is impossible to completely delete posts and personal information published on the Internet once they have been spread, they are sometimes referred to as digital tattoos, as if it were impossible to completely erase a tattoo. Inappropriate use of social networking sites can lead to the identification of one's personal information and can affect the reputation and credibility of the company to which one belongs.
The following are four examples of information that should not be posted on social networking sites: the first is information that is offensive to a specific person, the second is discriminatory information, and the third is information that is not appropriate for the pharmaceutical industry. Especially in recent years, due to changes in values and diversity, homosexuality and misogyny have a tendency to cause inflammation. It is necessary to check each and every content to ensure that it is not out of sync with today's society, even if it used to be allowed in the past.
The third is expression that constitutes an infringement of rights. Even if there is no malicious intent, expressions that constitute infringement of rights, such as posting a friend's photo without permission or taking a video of a TV broadcast and posting it on a social networking service, must not be transmitted ( Fig. 1 ).
Fig. 1 Expressions that fall under infringement
To prevent infringement of rights, if you can obtain confirmation from the owner of the rights, the following measures are recommended: 1) always obtain permission before posting, 2) check for images that may identify personal information, and 3) always respond to requests for removal. If you cannot obtain confirmation from the rights holder, you should post the photo in a way that does not identify personal information, such as by blurring or cropping the photo. It is also important to avoid posting photos taken in public places ( Figure 2 ).
Fig. 2 Measures to prevent infringement
The fourth type of information that should not be posted is business-related information. Basically, you should refrain from posting information obtained in the course of business, such as information related to business partners, customers, internal personnel affairs, financial results, and so on.
Characteristics of Major SNS
Here, we will introduce the features of X (formerly Twitter), Threads, Instagram, LINE, YouTube, and TikTok, which are the most commonly used social networking services these days. First, the features of X. It is a social networking service that was launched in the United States in 2006. It is said to have become popular in Japan around 2008, and has the largest number of users in their 20s, making it the third largest social networking service in Japan. X is characterized by its focus on short text communication and the ability to post anonymously, making it easy to express radical opinions and honest feelings. Therefore, it is said that while it has the strongest diffusion power among SNSs, it also has the highest risk of causing a flame war.
Next is Threads. Like X, Threads has the largest number of users in their 20s and has attracted a lot of attention, with the number of registered users surpassing 100 million in the first five days after its release. While X has a character limit of approximately 140 characters, Threads allows longer posts (500 characters), making it a social networking service that allows users to express their thoughts and information more freely.
Next is Instagram, another SNS by Meta, which was released in June 2010. It is basically a social networking service that mainly uses images and videos rather than text.
Next is LINE, which was developed in Japan in June 2011 and is the No. 1 SNS in Japan in terms of users. LINE is a chat-type application that allows users to have conversations, and its unique feature is the "read" function, which allows users to check whether the other party has read their messages or not.
The fifth is YouTube. The Japanese version of this service was launched in June 2007, and is basically a social networking service for sharing videos. The number of users has increased dramatically due to the Corona disaster, and recently YouTube has been attracting attention as the number one job that elementary school students want to become.
Finally, there is TikTok. TikTok entered the Japanese market in 2016. Videos posted on TikTok are easily spread to other social networking sites such as Instagram.
Next, we will explain how to distinguish the use of social networking sites for corporate use. As examples, we will introduce X, Instagram, and LinkedIn. First, X is a highly diffuse SNS, so it is often used for the purpose of expanding awareness and branding. In addition, some companies use it for the purpose of recruiting young people in their teens and 20s.
Next is Instagram, a social networking service with features such as the ability to paste URLs into images and a live-streaming function, which is widely used to introduce products and services. It is also used for sales of products and services, as it can effectively target the flow of traffic to online sales (e-commerce) sites.
Finally, there is LinkedIn. LinkedIn is a social networking service similar to Facebook, but more focused on business, targeting people in their 30s to 50s. LinkedIn is suitable for directory recruiting, and an increasing number of companies overseas are using it for recruiting high-level personnel.
Here is a little more information on the differences between the SNSs used for corporate recruiting purposes. In Japan, X and Instagram are increasingly being used for corporate recruiting as well. They are suitable for approaching the younger generation, and the direct message (DM) function makes it possible to approach them directly. On the other hand, it is also highly anonymous, which increases the possibility of mismatches when used for recruitment activities.
On the other hand, when using SNS for recruiting activities overseas, most companies basically use LinkedIn. As in Japan, the use of X and Instagram is quite rare. since LinkedIn registers quite detailed information such as company affiliation, department, and position, it is difficult to cause mismatches during recruitment activities, and accurate targeting is possible. Furthermore, the fact that many users are in their 30s to 50s makes it possible to approach high-class personnel. It is said that these differences between Japan and other countries are created by differences in the ability to scrutinize information and risk management.
SNS operation system
The first is to control risks by establishing SNS operation guidelines and social media policies, and educating SNS operators, The second point, early detection of risk, involves monitoring information on SNS and analyzing the risk collected from that information, The third, contingency response flow, includes the preparation of a crisis response manual, escalation flow, and media training in the event of an emergency (Figure 3 ).
Fig. 3 What is necessary to avoid flames when operating SNS
It is important to note that each of the three points is not the end of the process once established. For example, it is important to reflect the information and trends extracted from the early identification of risks in the SNS operation guidelines, etc., and to circulate them. By doing so, an internal system that takes into account the latest flameout trends and social conditions will be established.
Next is the role of the SNS operator. The SNS operation manager is responsible for creating guidelines, planning, giving work instructions, and checking the content of posts, etc. The SNS operation manager is in charge of actual SNS posts and information gathering under the supervision of the manager. The general workflow is that the person in charge creates the content, the person in charge checks the created content against the guidelines, etc., and finally the content is posted by the person in charge.
When submitting content, care should be taken to ensure that personal information is not disclosed. Surprisingly, even the most trivial information can be used to identify a person these days. Next is information leakage. With the increase in telecommuting, there are many cases where company information is reflected in photos taken at home. Finally, there is the issue of device management and settings. There are many problems related to device management and settings when using SNS, such as specifying the range of disclosure, password management, etc., and detailed precautions are necessary.
The last point is to be aware of any problems that may occur. In many cases, there is a grace period before the information itself spreads, and by taking action as soon as possible instead of leaving it unattended, you may be able to prevent the flames from spreading ( Figure 4 ).
Fig. 4 Points to note when trouble occurs
If you are involved in a flameout or trouble, it is important to contact your supervisor or the department in charge immediately. Also, when trouble occurs, do not make arbitrary decisions on how to respond to it. For example, if you are in a hurry and take action based on your own judgment when a problem occurs, the situation may deteriorate further or become irreversible. It is important to confirm the precautions to be taken on a daily basis by referring to the contingency response flow, etc. Using SNS in the wrong way will not only cause problems for the company, but will also be detrimental to your own life if your personal information is leaked. Please be sure to use SNS correctly on a daily basis while learning from this seminar.
( Takafumi Adachi, Public Relations Manager)