“People influence people. Nothing influences people more than a recommendation from a trusted #friend. A trusted referral #influences people more than the best broadcast message. A trusted referral is the Holy Grail of advertising.”
#MarkZuckerberg
Dear Mr Zuckerberg, if we believe in this quote, it would be our “mistake”, which might result in “breach of trust” and there can be an “issue” for us.
Since the quote is written by a person who has changed the way we use social media, the ambit of this article is marked inadvertently and we will discuss the quote within the purview of social media.
Be careful who you trust on social media. Not all your followers or connections are your friends. With rising influence of digital media, we are made to believe that our virtual connections are our friends and our followers are our confidants. But there is always a cloud of suspicion hovers as these connections and confidants turn our sweet enemies when they are hired by brands to promote their products and services.
I have experienced this twice on Facebook, where a food blogger panegyrized highway restaurants. Based on his positive reviews, I visited the restaurants with my family. And we were disappointed by the service and the quality of food served there.
This gave me an important learning: never trust your virtual friends blindly. This online world is very deceptive and this realisation is reinforced by a recent media credibility index. “In the era of fake news and tall claims on virtual media, print advertising gets a credibility upgrade”.
The report further says, “Print as a medium of advertising is seen with a renewed focus. The reason? According to Ormax Media study, traditional media, led by print, still receives higher credibility in the dissemination of news, compared to digital media. It is the credibility factor that is making brands place their bets on advertising through newspapers”.
In the quote by Mr Zuckerberg, the word ‘Trusted Friend’ needs to be underlined. When you are active on digital platforms, everything you do is virtual, and not real. Hence, your trusted friends may not be real. Accounts we follow for the last few months get deleted and banned overnight, and our trust is shattered. This is why many users double-check who they follow or make friends with on social media. A skeptical eye scrutinises everything before accepting requests for friendship or page like.
Let me sum up this argument with two jokes:
“When I look at the Internet, I feel the same as when I am walking through Coney Island. It’s like carnival barkers, and they all sit out there and go, “Come on in here and see a three-legged man!” So you walk in, and it’s a guy with a crutch.”
Jon Stewart, former host of The Daily Show, in New York
“You look beautiful today. Is that a new Instagram filter you’re wearing?”
Disclaimer: This article aims to highlight darker shades of virtual world. I have no personal likes or dislikes for any media or people involved.
