Last week,
residents of Boerum Hill, Brooklyn, woke to find a Halloween display like no
other – an extreme pumpkin display depicting mutilated baby dolls and a
centerpiece of a ghoulish pumpkin surgeon operating on one of them. The person responsible has been doing an
extreme pumpkin display for many years with residents looking forward to it
each year. But this year’s display
ignited some controversy as it became fodder for local television news and
newspapers.
It also, so
happens, that the person responsible is a friend of mine, someone I used to
work for many years ago. So, I’ve had
the privilege of following her experience via my connection to her on Facebook. What has been most interesting to me
throughout has been how comments seek to understand the “meaning” of the
display. She has alternately been
accused of hating kids, being satanic, being Banksy and “revealed” as an
anti-abortion soap opera actress all in an attempt to figure out the rationale
behind the display.
For
organizations, there is a lesson to be learned in this controversy. There is an inherent drive in the viral
nature of social media to make meaning out of things that catch our
attention. Messages will be interpreted,
re-interpreted and misinterpreted across potentially thousands of people
sometimes in as short a time as a few hours.
This illustrates the crucial nature of communication strategy and
communication expertise within organizations.
The controversy
also demonstrates the continuing power of television. As discussed in class, social media can be
instrumental in the delivery and interpretation of messages, and in having an
impact across culture as a result. But
here, as in many other instances, television is the catalyst, acting as a
gatekeeper in deciding what will be covered and what will not. Once the coverage happens, then social media
expands the story for good or ill. But
organizations should not lose sight of television’s power to shape and
influence public attention and opinion.
